


In The Rocks

by Ace_Babe414



Category: Ao no Exorcist | Blue Exorcist
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bisexual Okumura Rin, Cuddling & Snuggling, Cute, Demons, Developing Relationship, Exorcisms, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, I Will Go Down With This Ship, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I genuinely love these guys, LGBTQ Themes, Light Possessiveness, Long-Term Relationship(s), M/M, Manga & Anime, Marking, Mates, OG demon, OKAY?!, Okumura Rin Needs a Hug, Other, Protective Okumura Rin, Protective Suguro "Bon" Ryuuji, Rin is a dork, Rin learning to control his demon side, Rin's flames, Soft Suguro "Bon" Ryuuji, Strong Language, Swearing, They are my precious little beans, True Cross Academy, dealing with issues properly
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:08:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 46,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28149624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ace_Babe414/pseuds/Ace_Babe414
Summary: When a mission gone wrong leaves Rin infected by a bizarre demonic toxin, his true feelings are forced to the surface.He is swallowed by his desire for his teammate and fights to keep the monster within tame, suffering with injuries that don't heal and hilariously bad luck, the oldest Okumura twin needs  to figure out how to cure this sickness without crossing any boundaries. Surprisingly enough for the halfling, this leads to an even better discovery.
Relationships: Okumura Rin & Suguro "Bon" Ryuuji, Okumura Rin/Suguro "Bon" Ryuuji
Comments: 33
Kudos: 135





	1. Chapter One

Rin spun around with an unnatural speed, slicing through the final Reaper with Kurikara. Blue flames suddenly consumed the large frog, slowly disintegrating the creature into ash that blew away with the wind. His chest heaved as he surveyed his surroundings, watching for anything out of the ordinary. Suguro and Shima were standing back to back, breathing just as heavily as him. 

It was just the three of them for this mission. The other members of the True Cross Academy Cram school were all over the place; Kamiki was somewhere in Thailand, Shiemi spent most of her time as a Doctor, helping her mother run the shop and healing those that needed it. Occasionally she would tag along on other missions as back up in case someone got hurt. Konekomaru was in between the field and training, finalising his Aria title while assisting on other missions. 

If everyone was busy, Suguro and Rin would be sent out as a pair. They had passed their respective training levels with flying colours, much to both of the boy's surprise and were quickly becoming a great team. Shima was with them on this mission purely because of Rin's demonic side. The Vatican was still on his tail about him being Satan's son and Yukio assured him that they would probably never give it up. He was constantly being monitored, checked up on and assessed for any change in behaviour that may suggest he is losing control or even slightly disagreeing with them. 

Yukio constantly bothered Rin about everything too, trying to keep him in check. _Tuck your tail back in Rin. Now isn't the time._ Rin clenched his teeth at the memories of all the times Yukio had chastised him about anything. _Calm down, I know you're irritated but you have to keep it together._ He frowned some more, brows sliding down over his Sapphire eyes with annoyance. _Stop smiling like that. You know your fangs make people uncomfortable._ That last one just stung. He subconsciously shut his mouth tighter, causing an ache to settle in his jaw. 

__Rin was running through his mental checklist:  
Tail, wrapped around his chest, out of sight. Fangs, not showing.  
Ears, hidden away under his shaggy black hair. He internally sighed and was suddenly sucked back to reality when Suguro's hand landed on his shoulder. Within seconds Rin had shifted away from the other exorcist and crossed his arms firmly over his chest.  
"Another job well done Okumura," Suguro said, attempting to hide the confusion on his face. It wasn't often that Rin suddenly jerked away as he just had, and the taller man couldn't help but wonder what was going through his mind.  
"Same to you." He said, his voice coming out tighter than he had intended. Rin couldn’t help the reaction. Whenever Yukio’s comments jumped into his head he tended to fall in on himself and shut others out. Shima didn’t say anything, but he stood off to the side, a small smirk across his lips that no one addressed. _ _

__"The initial report mentioned that there was another demonic omen nearby at the local Garden Centre." Shima offered, willing the other two boys to agree to traveling with him. He just wanted to stall getting back to his place. Miwa would almost certainly be there to study with him even though Shima was already qualified. Rin shot the other exorcist a displeased look and Suguro just glanced at his pink haired friend.  
"We just dealt with ten Reapers and you want to find another demon?" Suguro asked, his voice gravelly with irritation, he had prepared for one mission today, not two.  
"Why not?" Shima shot back. "We're in the area Bon, and it won't do us any harm to just give the place a little once over." He tried not to sound as desperate as he felt, he really did not feel like studying. Suguro's eyes narrowed over him and Rin nibbled at his lower lip in consideration, he probably didn’t notice the way he fiddled with the buttons of his coat either.  
"I mean, sure. Yukio is busy and it's not like we have anywhere important to be at the moment." The halfling finally spoke, shrugging his shoulders indifferently and looking to Bon. Shima pointed an expectant look at his friend. The Aria finally grumbled and straightened up. "Fine.” he grumped. “But we're just going to look around." He said, knowing that that probably wouldn’t be the case. Shima tried to hide his excitement and failed poorly as they walked the few blocks down towards the Garden Centre. _ _

__The sun was just setting over the horizon, sky darkening into a dusty shade of messy orange as the boy’s finally arrived at the Centre. The building was huge, about the size of a football stadium, but for plant-nerds. Concrete pillars rose up, supporting a fog-coloured sun roof and large glass panes lined the walls. The entire thing smelt like compost and rotting fruit, and despite the fact that the building had a series of large open windows near the top of the wall, the air was heavy and felt oppressive, trying to catch your breath in here too quickly would almost certainly result in a coughing fit. Rin didn’t find Centre intimidating, he knew the place fairly well, he had been dragged in by Shiemi on more than one occasion to check out plants and the stench still clung to one of his favourite sweaters because of it._ _

__Rin scrunched up his nose in displeasure at the smell, his face pinching inward instinctively. Suguro and Shima didn't seem to notice the offensive smell, walking around and studying the area without so much as a nose crinkle. Rows of various plants, trees and strange garden ornaments dotted the facility. He doubted he could name half of them. Shiemi would definitely get them right. Rin could feel a darkness to the place, as if something were watching them, hidden by some form of spell or unseen corner. His frown deepened the further in they walked. Suguro led them through the lines of foliage, seemingly ignorant of the burning gaze of someone else stalking around the perimeter. Rin's ears twitched beneath his hair, perking up at a sound that neither boy had noticed. He was certain of what his senses were telling him, but he couldn't find what was the cause of it. Rin quickly turned, scanning for anyone else nearby. He knew someone was following them. Something was happening in this Garden centre and not all of it was related to plants.  
"Guys don't you hear that rustling?" He finally sputtered, growing anxious. He needed confirmation that he wasn't just going crazy.  
"Nope." Shima said bluntly, walking ahead. The duel haired man turned to give Rin a look before turning back.  
"Are you sure you aren't just looking for something to keep you occupied?" Suguro suggested, his arms crossed behind his head as he walked. He tried not to sound too offended when he spoke.  
"Of course I'm not." He objected. "What are you talking about?" Rin quickened his pace to fall into step with the other two, concerned about their opinions of him. _ _

__"I know that you and your brother are having quarrels at the moment." He muttered, giving an indifferent shrug. "It's obvious. You always get this little look on your face when you guys aren't on the best of terms." Bon said, walking down another line of plants, splitting from the other two. Rin wanted to retort or snap back, but he didn't have an answer, honestly, the guy was right. So what if him and Yukio weren't absolute chums at the moment. Crap like that happens, siblings quarrel. Recently the younger twin had been getting a bit more testy, quick to get annoyed and snapping at Rin when normally he would sigh or start over so as not to shout. Thinking about it a little harder, Rin's heart sunk below surface level and he was certain he would only find it again when he finally went to Gehenna. He grit his teeth and huffed. If that was what the guy assumed, he wasn't going to waste any breath trying to change it.  
"Okay, whatever. Sorry I said anything." He spoke dismissively, dropping the point and falling back from the other two exorcists to walk even slower. _ _

__The heavy feeling in the air and in his chest only served to further dampen his mood as Rin skulked after Bon and Shima, who seemed to be rather over their little adventure into the Garden Centre. He suddenly felt a whiplash effect, as though he was back in the Cram school and the others had just found out his true parentage. The divide he sensed between himself and the other two exorcists just seemed to make him more depressed._ _

__Bon turned around to glance at Rin, who appeared to be more reclusive than usual. Sure he was either hyper or quite, but this was a different kind of silence. The kind you barely notice until it's too late. He began overthinking his previous comment. Maybe he shouldn't have brought up the situation with their old teacher. Yukio had always been a soft spot for Rin, regardless of what was being said, he knew that. The halfling snapped at people when they said something bad about his younger twin and defended him tooth and nail through everything. Bon could tell that Rin wasn’t pleased with his answer, but he shrugged it off. Rin always had a way of slipping away from situations or words that didn’t sit right with him and now wouldn’t be the exception, he would sulk, get annoyed and then be fine.  
“let's do another sweep of the place and then leave. It seems pretty empty.” Bon said simply, tapping an empty pot with his foot. It was getting late and he wanted to get some food, he couldn’t remember the last time he had eaten and mentally cursed himself. The demons and now missing food would almost certainly result in a migraine.  
“Sounds good.” Shima agreed with a shrug of his shoulders. He had settled with the fact that he would have to study tonight._ _

__Rin ground his tongue between his teeth and nodded in agreement when the others looked back at him.  
“I’m going to check around the entrance again guys, I’ll meet you there when you’re done?” he said, turning on his heel and not really waiting for a response. The other boys shrugged and went off to finish their sweep of the back area. Rin could feel the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. Something was definitely watching them. Why couldn’t the others feel it? Rin shook his head dismissively, maybe it was a demon thing. Then again, the damn stench of the place would mask anything here anyway. He frowned and looked around the entryway. There were several strange statues and ornamental garden creatures. Rin studied a few disturbed looking frog statues and turned away, there were people and animals and what looked like a demented porkupine. Rin didn’t quite understand the appeal of having odd little inanimate objects to decorate your garden. He supposed he didn't spend enough time outside. Shiemi did seem to love them and he could be happy for her, but they just didn’t fit into his general idea of decor._ _

__Rin noticed a few creatures he recognized from other old churches around his monsestary, Gargoyles. The ugly beings hunched over their own bent knees, sculpted claws and stuffed away wings. He frowned at one that looked just slightly different than the rest. He couldn't place his finger on it, but this one specific creature was just wrong. A feeling deep in his gut told him to leave the statues alone. So with one last look over his shoulder, he turned away from them._ _

__Bon and Shima were about to turn around when they heard a yelp of pain and quickly snapped their heads in the direction of the sound. Shortly after they heard collapsing statues. The pair ran towards the entrance of the building and found Rin piled under three or four statues. Bon smiled a little and glanced at Shima, who had a similar look on his face. If it was anyone other than Rin, they would have probably panicked.  
“Are you okay?” he asked, looking around the statues to get a better look at Rin. He didn't seem completely injured but Bon wasn't sure. Rin grumbled loudly from behind the stone and a moment later the statues were shoved from off of him harshly, they moved at a ridiculous speed and a few crumbled into dust. The resounding noise wasn't a pleasant one.  
“Yeah I’m fine.” he said, grunting his displeasure and dusting himself off before standing up. The half demon grit his teeth and hissed in pain as he noticed that one of the statues had somehow crunched one of the bones in his leg. Shock must have prevented him from picking it up earlier. If he had any other injuries he didn't pay them any mind. Shima and Suguro however were at his side in an instant.  
“You don’t sound fine.” Shima commented, moving to grab his arm. Rin avoided letting the boys help him and winced his way past them. Stubborn as ever apparently. Each step sent a shock of agony coursing through his thigh, past his hips and up his spine.  
“It will heal shortly." He huffed. "Don’t worry about it.” he added, waving his hand dismissively. His voice was heavier than usual. The other exorcists shared a look and sighed. If they tried to help, he would probably become more annoyed._ _

The ten minute walk back to his shared apartment started to feel like eternity about two minutes in, and Suguro mumbling things next to him didn't particularly help the situation. Rin was tried, both physically and mentally. He couldn't remember the last time he properly _felt,_ well, anything so emotionally he couldn't exactly comment. With that being said, why did Suguro suddenly seem so _appealing?_ He shook his head to dismiss the thought. Now isn't the time to fawn over his friend or anything else for that matter. He needs to shower and then go the fuck to sleep.  
“Your leg healing up okay?” Bon asked, glancing at Rin and how he walked like a pirate still getting used to his sea legs. If the guy didn't seem so grumpy, he would have found it mildly amusing. Rin frowned, his brow creasing and lips turning. He shot him a look.  
“I told you it’s fine Suguro, don’t worry about it.” he said in a firm tone. The taller man mimicked the half demon’s expression, adding a raised brow. The way he said 'it' sounded a lot like he was saying ' _me_ '   
“Why do you seem so fucking hell bent on being okay? What the hell is up with you Okumura?” his voice was gruff as he accused his friend. Rin ground his teeth together and answered vaguely with an angry huff of breath, utterly disregarding the pain that had now consumed his entire left side. He wouldn't openly admit it without a lot of prying, but the thing hurt more than anything he could recall. Each step was a wave of agony. Rin couldn't conceive the idea that even breathing hurt. How the fuck did that work? And on the note of things not working, the wound should have already healed by now, and the fact that it was still annoying him meant something was up. Normally he would have jumped to fix it, but he felt lowley and he was too _damn_ tired to deal with it, let alone care. 

__“I thought we went over this before Okumura, you have people who care about you.” Suguro grabbed Rin by the wrist and pulled him back to face him, staring straight into those shifting eyes, like a kaleidoscope of blues. “What’s going on, huh?” he pressed, searching his features for answers. He was sure the guy wasn't happy, that much was obvious. But something else had to be going on, the pieces just weren't connecting here. Rin pulled his wrist back roughly and glared at the other man with an almost growl curling in his throat, grating against his vocal cords dangerously.  
“Nothing.” he snapped, a little louder than he had intended, his voice had dropped too, making it even more menacing. He was faintly relieved to see that Suguro didn't flinch away. “Why are you even walking me home anyway?” he asked, the comment wasn't meant to be one of hostility or challenge, more so an expressing of self deprecation. However the expression on Bon’s face was hard to decipher. It was seemingly some strange mix between anger and pain. Rin didn't understand why though._ _

“Listen." The Aria started gingerly, his tone gravelly. Rin felt his muscles tense involuntarily. This _wasn't_ going to be good. "If you don’t want me walking with you, ya should have just told me." Suguro said, more upset than angry, again, confusing the halfling. He half snarled but calmed himself before going on. "I really didn’t want you to walk all the way home, alone, when you’re walking like your left foot is missing.” his voice, despite the look on his face, was deadly calm, Rin bit his lower lip. “But whatever." He shrugged dramatically, his calmness disaptating. "If you’re _so fine_ I’ll let you go from here.” for some reason those words tugged at Rin’s heart strings harder than anything else had before. They sliced a piece of his soul and let it slither away. He felt himself choke, as if the air had suddenly become poisonous. He bit his tongue. “No." He said quickly. He caught his breath. "Uh...” Rin sighed, dropping his head and trying to find the words, panic forcing itself between his lungs, making forming words difficult. “I’m sorry." He finally said, looking away and letting out a breath. "You were right okay? Yukio has been riding my ass the last few days." He explained, almost guiltily. "I think the Vatican is breathing down his neck again and he isn't taking it kindly.” Rin admitted, and it was as if a weight had been removed from his shoulders. 

Suguro's expression softened and he cleared his throat. He wasn't relieved to be right about that, fighting with anyone you care about is never something fun.  
"Well you should have just said so ya dumbass." He said light-heatedly, catching his eyes. "You do know ya don't need to cut everyone off, we are here for you." He huffed with what sounded a lot like relief. Rin smiled briefly.  
"Yeah, I guess I should have. Thanks Suguro." He said, resuming limping, scratching the back of his neck. They made it another few steps before the weird thoughts came back. The halfling mentally cursed himself. Rin could vividly picture his friend shirtless and smirking at him. The muscles across his chest shifting as he breathed. He could see the Aria sucking on the side of his neck. He could almost _**feel**_ it. He grit his teeth and banished the thoughts away. What the utter fuck in the name of the good golden glory of cooking was going on with him?  
"Hey," Suguro called, stopping the halfling again. "Is your leg still bothering you?" He asked, looking the man up and down. Rin hastily took the opportunity to agree, since it wasn't exactly wrong and nodded. He would _not_ admit to what had just occurred. "Shouldn’t it have already healed by now?" He frowned. Rin shrugged. "Well yeah it should have." He admitted. "But I'm weirdly tired so maybe it isn't working all that well. I'm sure I'll wake up tomorrow with it fully healed." He gave the poor excuse anyway. Bon gave him a dubious look. 

The duel haired man's eyes narrowed and he glared at the half demon.  
"Quit fucking about Rin." He said, rolling his eyes. "I can tell you're in pain, stop acting all macho and let me help you back to the apartment, I'll look at it there." Rin could tell that Bon was dead set on this and he wouldn't be able to change his mind, so he just sighed and nodded.   
"Good." Bon said pointedly, wrapping his right arm around the man's waist and taking his left hand in his to pull it around and over his shoulder. He crouched a bit to make it a more accommodating structure. Rin was grateful for the support, it actually made moving around a lot easier.  
"Thanks Suguro." He muttered.  
Suguro grunted before he chuckled. "Yeah? What for?"  
"Dealing with my shit." 


	2. Chapter Two

As soon as Rin got into the apartment he collapsed on the couch in sheer exhaustion, he dropped his head back and closed his eyes. Bon walked back to shut the door behind him and moved over to where he was sitting. He stood with his hands on his hips, eyeing the halfling with a raised brow.  
"Yukio home?" He questioned, looking around the living room and tilting to check down the corridor. The kitchen was also empty. Rin shook his head minutely.  
"Nope." His muscles complained and he told them to shut up. "Mission, about two hours south of here. He's probably only going to get back tomorrow." He explained, willing his body to relax. 

Bon nodded and crouched in front of the halfling, he wasn't going to waste any time making small talk, he needed to see what the idiot had done to his leg.  
"Alright." He puffed out. "Take off your pants." Rin choked on his own saliva at the words and quickly snapped his head up to look at his friend.  
"I'm sorry what?" He asked, shock instantly sobering his tired mind, he was swallowing back the cough that wanted to wrack his frame.  
"Well with the weird pants you have on I can't see your leg properly. Take them off so I can see what's going on." He explained, frowning at his friend. Rin eyed the man before him, shock and confusion evident. 

"What?" Suguro questioned defensively, reclining back slightly.  
"You aren't naked under there are you?" He added. Rin quickly shook his head no.  
"Okay so what's the big problem?" Rin sighed, he didn't particularly feel like arguing with a brick wall so he complied, getting to his feet (rather unsteadily) and undoing the button on his pants to remove them. His friend offered to support him while he did this but he swiftly declined, that would make this too weird. The Aria didn't make his life any easier though because he just crouched there. Rin tried his best to pretend that Suguro _wasn't_ watching his every move like a total creep. When he finally got them to just above his knee he hissed in pain like a possessed cat and stopped. Once again Suguro motioned to help but he declined again. Rin huffed out an annoyed breath and plopped back onto the couch, shifting awkwardly to fully remove his pants. He very much regretted his decision of wearing those specific pants and decided that they were now cursed and he would burn them later. 

Now with the offending fabric out of the way, the older exorcist moved to assess the injury. Rin slipped off his shoes and rolled the pants up into a ball, tossing them across the room. Before Bon could comment though, he saw the disaster that was his friends knee. He utterly cringed at the sight. The, well, mass of disgusting flesh that was (ahem) _supposedly_ his friend's knee was worse than anything he had seen in the field. It was definitely broken and most certainly horrifying. A small part of him wanted to draw a little smiley face on it in hopes of making it look just a tad more palatable. "Holy shit Rin." He finally said, trying to think of what else to say. He was in disbelief. "How the ever-loving name of fuck were you even **walking** on that thing?!" Rin collected the last bits of courage he had and chanced a look at his leg. Both above and below his left knee were nearly black with bruising, the area was horribly swollen and he almost looked like a goat with the way his knee was placed. That was definitely not a good thing and the sight nearly made him gag. That was his knee, it was attached to him and if he moved the thing would follow him. Was it even a knee anymore? Could he call it a ghneeh? Since it was so fucked. He was so perplexed he almost laughed. 

Rin genuinely wondered the same thing, but he didn't really have an answer for his friend. Ultimately, he just shrugged.  
"I guess it doesn't feel as bad as it looks." He offered. Sure it was agonisingly painful, but that was just physically. He could handle physical pain. He'd been hurt enough for it to become a more tame kind of anguish. Hell he had spent his entire childhood getting into fights and having Yukio patch him up. The ghneeh, all things considered, looked worse than it felt. Bon gave the younger exorcist a look of horror. He could barely imagine the pain he must be in. Before he thought it was just a small fracture or perhaps a nasty cut. This was another level of fucked and he didn't have any words for it. He collected his thoroughly disturbed thoughts and then began.  
"You're trying to tell me this isn't that bad?" He asked, disbelief laced through his words as he gestured to his injured leg almost comically. Rin gave an awkward smile in an attempt to lighten the mood. "Jesus Christ." Bon grumbled, shaking his head. "Stay put, I'm getting some ice." He said, finally getting to his feet and moving towards the kitchen. 

Rin sat on the couch, half naked and confused with a leg from the wrong side of hell and a burning pain on his left collar bone. He wanted to regret his life decisions but currently all he regretted was getting up this morning. He frowned and adjusted his shirt to try and peer down at what could possibly be stinging that much. It was a thudding pain, like if a bee sting was in a strange shape. He couldn't see it properly, but he assumed that it was some or other scratch from the statues earlier. He wasn't sure how it had even happened really. One moment he was walking back to wherever Bon and Shima had gone off to and the next he was suddenly piled under a mound of ridiculously heavy statues that had apparently crushed the shit out of his leg. Then again. . .why the _fuck_ wasn't his demonic healing kicking in? 

Rin furrowed his brows and tried to think back to a time when his healing didn't work. It was a challenging thing. It had always worked. All the time, no matter the injury, it would close up within minutes. He thought a little harder, he could almost hear Shura saying: _"Don't strain yourself."_ she was always light in her teasing. Unfortunately he always knew that Yukio wasn't just teasing. He sheded the thought and refocused his efforts. If his memory served, and he wasn't sure if it did, the last (and only) time was about three or so years ago when some newer exorcist appeared at their doorstep for help after experiencing a prolonged encounter with a succubus. The guy was a proper mess, sweating wildly and mumbling incoherent sexual things. The whole ordeal made everyone uncomfortable, but they knew it wasn't his fault. Rin didn't know what to do, so he just decided to leave them alone. That didn't go well because he had tripped like an idiot over their rug in the dining room and the result was a decently sized gash on the right side of his head, just above his eyebrow. It stung like a bitch and was extremely irritating. When the cut didn't heal within five minutes, he half panicked and went to Yukio for answers. Previously he had closed up a stab wound within mere minutes, and now a pathetic cut on his forehead that -annoyingly- was dribbling blood into his eye was still open? He wasn't very good at maths, but that two and two didn't quite fit. Yukio ended up explaining that some demon's toxins could affect his abilities if he'd been exposed to it for long enough. The guy was near him for a decent period of time before The accident and about two hours later, after the guy had left the cut cleared right up. There was barely a mark on him. So, obviously that had to be the explanation here. . . right? 

Bon returned to the living room with an ice pack in each hand and a pensive look on his face. He was relieved that someone in this god-forsaken house had injuries that lasted. "Do you have any idea as to why your knee still looks like a depressed purple cabbage?" He asked, waving his hand vaguely over the mess of crunched bone. He crouched beside the couch, gesturing for Rin to sit length ways across it so that he could place the ice packs above and below the affected area. The halfling did as requested and moved, wincing and clenching his jaw. Bon's chest tightened at the sound. He hated anyone in pain, let alone those he cared for. He hoped that the ice would reduce the swelling and hopefully make him feel just a little bit better. Rin hissed as the cold hit his tender flesh, a jolt rushing through his body as it settled with a final shiver. Bon gave him a sympathetic look before he had a sudden realisation. He moved to stand.  
“You’ve never really had to do this before have you?” he questioned slowly, shifting things around so he could sit on the coffee table. Rin watched him as he did this and suddenly felt strangely self conscious in only his silk black boxers, white shirt and work coat. As soon as he left school he ditched the tie but kept the button up. To be fair he never had it on properly, so getting rid of it completely was a good call. Suguro on the other hand still had a tie with his uniform, which essentially made him look the exact same as their Cram school days. Rin had this unholy urge to grip the tie in one hand and yank the other man forward to press their lips together. A flash of heat -not attached to the blue flames- pulsed through him, heading south. 

Something was definitely wrong with him today. He had always had little moments like that. He thought Suguro was so cool. The guy protected those he cared for, had those several ear piercings, which Rin would venture to call hot and was just an overall great person. Rin was snapped back to reality though when Bon said his name loudly. Rin shook his head to clear the thought like a human etch-a-sketch and looked up.  
“Are you going to continue creepily staring at my tie or are you going to answer me?” he deadpanned, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, hands clasped together in front of him. Rin swallowed, eyeing him over, his mouth suddenly feeling full of sand. He could almost feel the sickening crunch between his teeth.  
“Uh, what was the question?” he asked sheepishly, glancing away from the Aria and fiddling with his fingers. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Yukio was calling him an idiot and he was very much agreeing.  
“Do you know why your healing has stopped?” Bon repeated for him. He realised that he hadn't given him an answer before so Rin shrugged, “Last time it happened Yukio said it was because of some kind of demon toxin or whatever," he gave a brief explanation of the event. "So I guess once that’s clear of my system I should be good.” he said. A million possibilities ran through Suguro's mind. Had there actually been a demon at the Garden Centre that they hadn't seen? His stomach twisted like a depressed garlic knot and he recognized it as guilt. He sighed and didn't give him an answer. There wasn't much to say besides: "Okay." 

A silence settled in the room and he took the moment to study the place. Suguro had been to their apartment before on more than one occasion. It was usually business related or to pick up notes he had let Rin borrow, but he never really stayed long. He gathered now that, besides the kitchen, the place barely looked lived in. The living room was set up nicely, no little odds or ends to suggest someone doing anything there, the dining table didn't have any decorations on it -no fruit bowl, placemats, nothing. The walls were blank too, aside from one or two very generic pictures. He frowned to himself. The apartment felt off. Something about the spacious living quarters just felt, lonely. 

It was getting too quiet now and Bon finally decided to break it. Curiosity was getting the better of him and he had to do something. “Rin.” he started, trying not to sound too tense, but he supposed it didn't work as his tone made Rin obviously shiver.  
“Yes?” he answered, moving to shift himself slightly further up on the couch, looking slightly concerned.  
“How often are you left alone here?” the reaction he received told him that it was more often than what should be allowed. Rin bit his lip, for some reason the way Suguro was asking made his chest close. He drew in a shaky breath. “Uh, every second week or so?” he said, his voice uncertain. He felt that if he answered wrong something bad would happen (which was obviously ridiculous, this is Suguro. But the thought still lingered)  
The fact that Rin couldn't even give a clear answer was, to the Aria, even more suspicious. Bon raised his brows, giving him a look. So he was alone here practically all the time and the guy didn't do anything about it? He frowned.  
“And you didn't think to invite anyone over?” Rin’s face twisted into an awkward straight line. He had but his fear of rejection overshadowed the claws of isolation.  
“Uh, no not really.” he answered. His stomach tightened with nausea. He felt like such a bad friend. How long had this been going on? Why was Yukio such an asshole? Bon sighed gently and rubbed his face.  
“Jesus Okumura," he managed. "don’t you ever get lonely?” Rin shifted uncomfortably under Bon’s scrutinizing gaze, but didn't answer him. He knew the answer to that one. “Next time Yukio leaves you alone like this, you call me okay?" He said, steeling his resolve. "You can’t just stuff yourself away in this fucking apartment until your next mission.” Rin had to take a moment to process what his friend had just said. A small part of him wanted to retort with: _Well what if I want to?_ But he kept his mouth shut. 

Rin couldn’t really understand why anyone would even want to hang out with him. He was a demon for Christ's sake. He was the very thing that they all hunted and dare he say; hated. So with that being said, why on Assiah would they even think of wanting to hang out with him? Rin gave Bon a strange look, collected his scattering thoughts and then spoke. “It’s okay," he didn't want the guy to feel obligated now. This had been happening for practically years. It was his everyday. "you don’t need to do that, I’m used to it.” He tried for a smile, an attempt to reassure him. He was mostly content with just, being by himself. He had adapted to that and found ways to keep himself busy, whether that be by cooking or if he got especially bored, training his flames. Yukio was typically out and no one came by. He was unsure as to why Suguro seemed distressed by this information. He also had Kuro to keep him company, so it wasn't like he was completely alone. He had other things to do too, like long walks and occasional parkour. 

The pain in his leg was still there and still agonising. It was rather tame compared to when he was walking, but it was still constant, a dull throbbing that was growing rather irritating. How did everyone cope? He would be fine, he knew that. He also wasn’t concerned about the thing not healing, it would eventually. He had grown back another arm before, healing whatever mess his knee was in would be a piece of cake. 

Suguro just stared at the halfling, unsure of what to say. Rin's answer did not make him happy and he needed to say as much. His face was blank until he suddenly gave him his trademark _'quit your shit'_ look.  
“Okay." He started tentatively, keeping the irritation out of his tone. He needed to be clear and concise.  
"I thought we had already solved _this_ issue.” He huffed, seemingly becoming rather annoyed. He then schooled his features and frowned, narrowing his eyes slightly at the halfling. If Rin thought Suguro was annoyed before, right now he was bordering on proper anger. 

"You know what? Shut up Okumura.” Suguro was way more than annoyed. This was different... Was he hurt? Upset maybe? Why would he be upset? Rin frowned, trying to mentally puzzle through this Jigsaw.  
“Fuck off with that look ya dumbass." He said. Bon didn't exactly have a soft side, he tried but it all came out as either "fuck you or fuck off." He really needed to work on his people skills. He tried not to sound as harsh this time. "I’m staying here until Yukio comes home. I’m not leaving you alone.” he spoke with a final tone, leaving no room for argument. Rin took in a long breath, studying his friend; those mocha brown eyes, dark hair with a mohawk of blond streaked down the middle. The way his white shirt collar peeked just above his coat and the tie that sat snuggly underneath the lip of it. His lips were on the precipice of a frown, as if waiting for Rin to argue. The half demon couldn’t understand why he would want to stay around him, but he seemed pretty dead set on staying, so he sighed. “Alright.” he agreed. 

Bon looked as if he was about to clap back with something but didn’t, instead he stood and pulled out his phone.  
“Good. I’ll order food. I don’t remember the last time I saw you eat.” Rin didn’t interject, **he** couldn’t even remember the last time he ate. He would make food and he was sure Ukobach wouldn't mind helping at all, though he had a feeling Bon wouldn't like him to move around. Plus trying to cook with only one good leg, without practice would be an irritation. 

“I’ll get Shima to drop off some clothes for me too. Do you need anything?” he added, looking over his shoulder. It had been a while since someone had asked him that. Rin smiled softly to himself. If he couldn't push the man away, he would just have to accept and relax into his presence. “No I think I’m fine.” he answered, strangely appreciative of the way Suguro was acting. His friend watched him for a minute. 

“Nah, don’t believe you.” he deadpanned with a sly grin on his face. “I’ll tell Shima to pick up some ice cream too, you look like you could use it.” Rin just nodded in response, the smile widening ever so slightly. The interaction was such a simple one, yet it made his heart soar. No one had ever interacted with him like that before and for a moment, he could pretend he was normal. 

Bon stood off to the side by the dining table and his heart sank into his shoes as he ordered food for the both of them. Why the hell did Rin seem so sad all of a sudden? Has he always been like this? If so, why didn't he see it? Bon mentally scolded himself for not noticing it before. His friend was always a little bit distant, but probably not on purpose, or maybe it was. . . What reason would he have for that? He supposed that him being the son of Satan would make him feel a little bit out of touch, but then again, what breeds of nonsense had Yukio said to him before? He breathed carefully, cleared his head and tried not to settle into the morbid case of depression that had washed over him. He mentally recited a simple Sutra to calm himself. His teammate was loud, his friend was brash and confident and Rin sometimes was very annoying (the endearing kind- he reasoned with himself). He was a fucking idiot most of the time, but he was clever in his own way, sure he couldn't memorise things perfectly and he often forget important tasks, but the guy was a culinary genius. Rin could make the most complicated things simple in the most bizarre way. He was interesting and different, and not just because of his demon blood. Rin was unique in the best possible way and Bon promised himself that he would help his friend see that. 

Food was sorted and Shima confirmed that he would be there in around 30 minutes, which left Bon to figure out what to do. 

"Are you sure you don't want pain meds or somethin'?" He called from the kitchen, looking around the place for where the twins kept their medication. That was the first thing to come to his mind. If he had an injury like that, top priority would be the strongest pain meds he could get his hands on, followed by as much sleep as possible. Honestly he just wanted to be as helpful as he could be. He would be damned if he let Rin deal with this alone. If this was the first time he had ever been properly injured, he was going to get the best possible treatment.  
"I'll be fine." Came the response and for a split second, Bon forgot about the "best possible treatment" and really focused on strangling the guy. "It doesn't hurt that bad." Bon wanted to punch the wall, but at least The guy was sounding like himself again. Suguro very seriously exited the kitchen to give him a stern look.  
"I'm sorry." He started with aggressive sarcasm. "This is probably the first time you've ever had a proper injury before and you're just rolling with it?" Rin looked around the room as if it would give him answers, Suguro didn't know what the hell he could be looking for in that bland ass area.  
"Well I don't normally experience pain for more than five minutes," he said, settling his gaze in his lap. Bon's features settled. "Most things heal within that time and then it's gone, as if it had never happened." He gave a half-hearted shrug and Bon finally caught onto the unspoken statement beneath the words: _I can pretend I'm normal for a little while._

"Alright." Suguro resigned. He couldn't take that from the guy, so he decided to play along for a while. He sat on the single-seater couch adjacent to the half demon and breathed slowly. He truly couldn’t even imagine the amount of pain the guy must be in, and yet he seemed fine. How was he totally cool with the mess his knee was in?  
The sight of his outside indifference was as unsettling as the realisation behind it.  
How much pain had he been in before? What had hurt him so bad, that even a major injury barely fazed him. On the note of injuries, he suddenly remembered that Shiemi was also a Doctor Meister and that meant she could help. "Hey, move the ice pack quickly, I want to get Shiemi's opinion on the thing." He gestured to Rin's knee. The half demon sighed and moved the pack so that the older man could photograph the injury. He didn't see the point in bothering her too, it wasn't such a big deal.

The light coming through the barely open curtains was dimming at a rapid pace as the sky was nearly ink black at this point. The darkness reminded him of the mission and why he was so tired, Rin also remembered that he wanted to shower. His hair felt wrong and he knew his clothes were sticking to him in the most irritating way. He just needed to wash away the stress of the day, maybe that would solve this issue.  
Suguro noticed him moving around like a distressed toddler so he tucked his phone away and gave him a once over.  
"What's got you so jumpy?" He crowed, frowning in Rin's direction. The halfling suddenly had trouble forming words and he was painfully aware of the fact he was very much pants-less. Could this day get much worse? He set his lips into a thin line and sighed, dropping his head before clearing his throat. "I just. I want to go shower, it's been a long day and I feel gross." He admitted. He wasn't certain as to why he felt uncomfortable around his friend. They had been forced into close living quarters so often, they were practically uncomfortably close room-mates. 

Apparently now was the time that Kuro had woken from his nap, and came barrelling down the corridor into the living room. Bon had almost forgotten about the demon familiar. Normally he was by the front door acting like an over-sized guard dog. The silt cat skidded to a halt beside the couch, where he proceeded to jump up beside Rin, his tails waving excitedly. 

_'Hey Rin! Welcome home.'_ His voice spoke in the half demon's mind. Rin smiled at the demon cat and moved his hand to scratch behind his ear, he enjoyed hearing the cat's voice. It was a comforting thing. "Thanks Kuro," he said. Suguro watched the strange exchange. He knew that demons could communicate telepathically but seeing it first hand still seemed odd, he felt deaf to the realities of his friends' existence. Watching the cat's twin tails swish from side to side was almost hypnotic and Bon had to manually pry his eyes away. Where was Rin's tail? Did the guy still wrap it around his chest like he did in High School? It seemed likely because he hadn't seen it since they arrived. It must be incredibly uncomfortable to have to do that constantly. Suguro's mind wandered back to all the times he heard Yukio mutter things to Rin which resulted in him slipping into himself. This was the outcome of that. He wanted to leave puddles of water everywhere possible just to see him get irritated at having to change his socks constantly. (Bon knew it was a pathetic threat, but it was a very good way to piss people off) 

_'Oh my. . .'_ The cat had apparently noticed the ice packs over his master's knee and Bon could have sworn that he saw the cat's lip tremble. The creature crawled across Rin's shoulder swiftly and down his chest before settling on the couch beside the injury. _'What happened Rin!'_ He was very concerned about the mess, Kuro knew the wonders of demonic healing and the fact that it wasn't working made the demon feel very uneasy. Bon could tell that the cat was speaking to his friend, and by the way his double tail swished, he was concerned. He wanted to know what the cat's voice sounded like. 

Rin proceeded to explain to Kuro what had occurred earlier at the Garden Centre, the Reapers beforehand and the weird feeling he had there (Bon hated hearing the story from his perspective when there was the possibility of them -Him and Shima- being such ignorant assholes) Rin added why he thought the injury wasn't healing. The silt cat nodded calmly and pawed at his thigh, climbing up to curl himself on Rin's lap. The sight was a sweet one, but something slicked.  
"You can go shower, I'll help you get to your room." Bon said, finally remembering why Rin was moving weirdly. An image of Bon, shirtless and helping him undress flashed in his mind and he hid his face in his hands, he flushed a shade of red that was very unflattering. _What the hell was happening to him?_ Rin tried to find an explanation but nothing seemed to fit? He knew that any affections he may have for anyone wouldn't be reciprocated. He was part demon, and not just any demon at that; his father was Satan. No one would want to lie with a demon, let alone be in a romantic relationship. Hell, Bon specifically wouldn't at all, considering his main goal was to kill the bastard. 

Fortunately it seemed that Bon had his eyes elsewhere during that little moment of indiscretion, so Rin took in a breath.  
"Yeah that would be great, thanks." He tried to sound 'normal' but he forgot what that meant at the moment. Bon nodded and got to his feet, Kuro jumped off of him and Rin moved to stand. They tried not to let the awkwardness affect them too much. Suguro was immediately at his side, supporting him and helping him towards his room so he could get a change of clothes before showering. He picked out an outfit and Bon tucked it under his arm so he could help him to the bathroom. He set him in the room near the shower, placed down his clothes and made sure he could support himself with a little assistance from the wall. Bon assured him that he would be right outside if he needed anything. Rin made a mental note to _definitely_ not slip in the shower. 

Suguro made his way back to the living room and texted Shiemi to see if she had responded, she hadn't so he decided to check the estimated time of arrival on the food but also Shima's trip to get him clothing. He tried to think of if he needed anything else from his place. His plan was that he was going to stay here and he was going to look after the guy. No other answers or options would be accepted unless it was an emergency. Suguro couldn't let Rin stay here alone with his brother coming back the next day, something there was fucky. The way Rin seemed to idolise his brother didn't make sense when things were put into context. Yukio acted like a keeper rather than a sibling. They never did anything he would consider brotherly, like the way Renzou was with his brothers. Why did Rin love and adore the guy so much when he left him alone all the time and said negative things about him? The idea made him frown in a rather unflattering way, it most honestly more of a scowl. Their old teacher was one mis-step away from getting a stern talking to. 

___ 

To say Rin was suffering, would probably be the worst understatement of the century. Agony, anguish, and excruciating torment would be slightly more accurate. Here he was, slowly dying, naked and having many thoughts rush through his mind. All of them incredibly salacious. (Did he mention he wanted to die?)  
He was trying to stand in the shower, awkwardly supporting himself on one leg while leaning against the wall somewhat. It was rather unproductive and very displeasing. The whole ordeal made him want to punch the wall, but he knew that would only cause the building damage and mildly upset the bones in his hand. Yet he still considered it for another moment before dismissing it. Would Suguro help? No, that was ridiculous. He really was going crazy wasn't he? Rin sighed heavily and set about the tedious task of cleaning himself from horns to tail. It took some effort to balance himself so he could actually wash the lower half of his body but he managed it. The irritation on his left collar bone didn't go away and he couldn't see it, so he tried to clear his head. What was that stupid thing Suguro always said when he needed to clear his head? Rin wracked his brain for a hot minute, searching for the little mantra or whatever they were called. He finally gave up and settled for counting the small white tiles across the shower wall. It mostly worked but it also caused him to almost fall at least twice. His heart flew out of his chest both times. 

He nearly fell the third time when Kuro spoke. He never even saw the Silt cat enter the bathroom so he panicked. _'Sorry Rin!'_ he cried apologetically. He shook his head and tried to keep himself steady. "What do you need Kuro?" He asked, lathering up his hands with shampoo and working on his hair. _'I thought you might need some help.'_ Rin thought it was endearing that the demon had thought of him. If he was honest with himself, he did need some help. "That would be awesome Buddy." He said, mentally explaining how the cat could help. Kuro grew to his larger form and moved so that he could stand a bit in the shower, placing his enormous paw behind Rin so that he could sit on it. He thanked the Silt cat and moved onto washing his tail. He always had to be careful when he did that, it was sensitive in more ways than one and he didn't want to accidentally hurt himself by being more of an idiot than he typically was.  
He finished off by rinsing everything and breathing calmly. Flashes of images that set himself and Bon in rather compromising positions didn't help him in the slightest and the little noises he made Kuro would laugh at. This had never happened before. (It fucking sucked and if he found out who did it he would definitely them) but it was more irritating than anything else, although if he was being honest, embarrassing was a close second. 

Kuro helped him out of the shower then shrank back to his usual size. He set himself in the bowl of the sink and watched Rin as he sat on the lid of the toilet to dry himself. _'Are you sure you're okay Rin?'_ he asked, pawing at the porcelain. He nodded firmly as he started pulling on loose shorts, going over his knee he nearly screamed, but he bit it back. A long sleeved grey shirt followed and then he was ruffling his hair dry. Kuro in his larger form was far too big to fit through the doorway, which left the halfling to do it by himself. Rin harshly muttered curses that would make any priest blush and hobbled his way back into the living room. 

Suguro heard the twin before he saw him and he nearly punched the guy.  
"What the hell Oukumura!" Bon snapped almost immediately, rising to his feet.  
"What?" He asked almost innocently, supporting himself on the wall and giving him a frown. Suguro practically marched over to him and instantly went to support him, helping him back to the couch, his grip was uncomfortably firm, but Rin wasn't going to complain. 

"If you keep trying to walk on it -like an _idiot_ \- without support you'll hurt it more." He said, his voice gruff and displeased as he plonked Rin on the couch. A little bulb went off in the back of Rin's head.  
**Oh. That makes a lot of sense actually.**  
Rin had never really been hurt long enough to have to worry about such things. 

"Oh. By the way, Shiemi is coming over. She wants to check out your knee." Bon said, seating himself on the small sofa again and gesturing to Rin's leg. The halfling just nodded along. So he was bothering her too, great. 

"And Shima should get here shortly as well." He added. Rin mentally huffed and sent a reminder in the back of his mind to apologise for ruining her Saturday evening. Kuro happily settled on Rin's lap again and he tried relaxing, it wasn't easy with seven hundred thousand thoughts rushing his neuro system and the pulsating agony of his knee.  
"Alright," he responded with a noncommittal shrug. "you really don't need to stay though, I will be fine on my own." He tried; it was honestly a mixture of self defence and self depreciation. On one hand he was terrified that he might just suddenly act on the weird images flooding his mind and on the other, he didn't understand why or how Suguro was so attached to him now, within the blink of an eye he went from basic friendship to weirdly committed. He had expected Shima and Bon to just go home after the mission -maybe study since that's all he knew Suguro to do- and he would settle on the couch, suffer mildly and then move on, maybe even read some manga or go straight to bed. He couldn't fathom why Suguro would actually want to spend time with him either. Even his own brother left the house and avoided him for the most part so that didn't make sense. To be fair, nothing really made sense anymore and he was getting irritated by the weird burning that still seared his left collar bone. He didn’t see anything every time he checked so he assumed it was probably a little cut that would heal eventually.

Suguro gave him a poisonous look.  
"What?" He mumbled.  
“Rin," he began dangerously. "if you say something like that one more time, I _will_ fuck up your other knee.” he said, his expression unreadable and his voice deadpan. Rin swallowed and shrugged.  
“Uhm, okay,” he rubbed the back of his neck and settled further back on the couch, unsure of what else to say. A small part of him appreciated the dominance his friend was giving off ( _really_ appreciated it) and the rest of him wanted to hide. This was so bizarre and it wasn’t like he could tell anyone, at least not without heaps of judgement or possibly starting a fight. He considered maybe Shura? She would almost certainly tease him, but that was better than every other option he had. 

_‘Rin, is something bothering you?’_ Ah yes, the silt cat, in his (ahem) appreciation of Suguro, he had almost forgotten about the creature sitting in him. Rin loved his demon familiar and enjoyed his company, though sometimes the cat asked some rather difficult questions. Rin wasn’t sure how to respond, so he thought for a moment, finally speaking.  
_‘I mean, my knee is pretty sore and my collar bone is strangely burning…’_ he explained, and even though he was communicating telepathically, it still felt like Bon could hear him. More than that, it felt like he was being judged. He swallowed and the sensation made him shift uneasily.  
_‘No, it’s something else too Rin.’_ Kuro insisted, kneading at his shorts near his right hip bone. Rin tried not to hiss at the claws dipping into his sensitive skin. He wasn’t particularly in the mood for physical contact, let alone one that hurt. 

“What’s he going on about?" The Aria asked, studying the cat. "He seems really worked up.” Suguro said, watching Kuro as his twin tails swished back and forth, it was moments like these that made him wish he could communicate telepathically with demons too, but he doubted his temple would take kindly to that fact. 

“He’s just asking if I’m okay.” Rin told him somewhat off-handedly, as if something was distracting for him. Kuro pushed for an answer by meowing peristantly and kneading harder. He could tell that it was bugging him but Rin didn't make the cat stop. Bon raised a brow at him, sceptical of the truth and silently telling him to answer the cat. He did.  
_‘I feel out of sorts Kuro. I don't know why Bon is suddenly so invested in looking after me or whatever.’_ There was more but that was all he was going to confess. The cat nodded simply, seemingly pleased with that answer as he stopped kneading. _‘Mhmm.’_ Kuro teased. _‘You like him don't you Rin.'_  
That line set him off, he growled low in his throat and couldn’t stop himself from muttering a: “Oh fuck off Kuro, you know now isn’t the time.” the silt cat’s ears flickered back and eyed him with concern.  
Rin noticed, regretting the statement. He immediately felt guilty for his comment.  
_‘I’m so sorry Kuro. You didn’t deserve that.’_ He said, scratching the back of his neck a little too harshly. He genuinely expected the cat to just leave him too. Kuro sulcked for a moment before settling on his lap and softly nuzzling his chest. Bon watched the exchange with a curious look on his face, what had the cat said?  
_'It’s okay Rin, we all get like that sometimes.’_ Even though he said it was fine, Rin still felt bad, he scratched behind his friend's ear and looked at Bon.  
“I’m sorry about that.” he said, conditioning his voice to stay calm and he quickly broke eye contact. Bon gave a half shrug.  
“Are you sure you’re alright man? You seem kinda pale.” he said, instead of acknowledging the apology. Kuro purred a bit louder and snuggled into Rin some more, which made him smile briefly. Rin thought for a moment.  
“Well my leg hurts -which isn't surprising- and I have a strange headache, but other than that I guess I’m fine.” he gave a half smile that let a fang peek out and tried not to stare at him too much. He wasn't going to mention the insanely intrusive thoughts. Bon however, wondered why he was suddenly so strangely distant. Before he could comment on it though, there was a knock on the door. Bon gave the half demon a look and walked towards it. “It’s the food.” Rin commented, and was proven correct. A thin man casually handed Bon the food, gave a small smile and head nod before walking away. Bon shut the door and turned to put the food down on the coffee table.  
“How did you know it was the food?” he asked, sorting through everything. Rin shrugged and kept petting Kuro.  
“He didn’t smell like Shima or Moriyama, so the only other option was the food you ordered.” his stomach growled appreciatively at the scent of food. Bon was impressed. He somehow always forgot about the halflings incredible senses. It had probably been one of the most important assets in more than a couple missions and he should thank the halfling for that more often.  
“Well that's fair enough I guess.” he said as he placed the food on a tray for Rin and himself, getting a glass of water for each before returning to the living room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own the characters of Blue Exorcist (Ao no Exorcist)  
> These characters belong to the original creator Kazue Kato
> 
> Please provide constructive criticism, leave your thoughts and ideas and give some kudos if you enjoyed! <3  
> Thank you so much for reading!


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry, I don't know what I'm doing. Who is letting me do this? Help🤣😭

Rin was staring off into the distance, thinking about something or other, probably something pleasant considering the small smile on his lips, but that aside, the guy needed to eat.  
Bon got his attention by tapping him on the shoulder which caused him to jump, Kuro too who flared up his fur in warning. He muttered an apology to them both and handed Rin his food. Kuro settled next to Rin and Suguro sat beside him on the other side. Rin moved (rather awkwardly) to accommodate him, lifting his injured leg up onto the coffee table and adjusting until he was comfortable. (There was a lot of internal screaming) Bending his knee was about as fun as swallowing broken glass (Rin had to admit that he was a rather dumb child -Yukio didn't know how to help and the whole thing just evolved into a big fucking problem) and he wanted to avoid doing that as much as physically possible.  
“Thank you Suguro,” he said eventually, taking in a mouthful of food. It was decent and it was something to eat. His stomach practically flipped with joy while his knee just whimpered pathetically. “I’ll pay you back, yeah?” he told him, going in for another mouthful. Bon quickly shook his head and scoffed at the thought. _Like he was going to let that happen._

“Not a chance.” he countered quickly, almost amused but mostly firm, sipping his water and then adding: “You always bring food when we have stakeouts or have to investigate something for longer than a day, consider this a small, return of interest.” he said, waving his hand dismissively. Fat chance he was going to let the guy give him money for just getting food. That was simple and it was just one time. Rin was injured and Ryūji was _not_ about to let him in the kitchen. He needed to focus on looking after himself until his healing kicked in. For now however, Suguro was going to be firm on that point. Rin desperately wanted to argue back, and he was about to, but, going off of the look Bon was giving him. That probably wasn’t the best idea. He wasn't sure how the exorcist managed that many expressions at once. The look was something in between: _'Try me and I will fuck you up'_ and _'Please look after yourself I care about you.'_ seeing that made Rin consider a third option; that he was already dead and in Gehenna.

It was getting too quite while they were eating and Rin put the TV on for some background noise so that it didn't feel so silent. He did that rather often, more than he would like to admit, it felt a lot less lonely with things playing in the background, as if someone were there with you. Bon still felt strange about the apartment, he kept looking around the place as if it would suddenly change and fix itself, but of course it didn't. Everything kept bugging him. Where the hell were all the homely decorations? Family photos, or little momentoes from trips or memories. Maybe for Christmas Suguro would get them a damn interior decorator or perhaps even new furniture entirely. This place needed a pick me up; The couches weren't that comfortable to begin with and the curtains did not match anything in the room. Suguro decided not to comment on the poor decor of the place and thought it better to just go back to eating. 

Rin's body felt heaps better with food in his belly, and Kuro snuggled up beside him did make him feel a little more comfortable. The interesting thing currently was how hot Bon felt against him. Even though he still wore his work coat and had on a long sleeved shirt, the heat he was giving off was nearly intoxicating. Rin had to concentrate _(way too hard)_ on not nuzzling into him and falling asleep, which was more awkward than he would want to admit. Even with the clothing, something strange was occurring because it was like lightning every time they brushed together and he had a hard time focusing on anything else. Suguro was sitting flush next to him and he had no idea what to do or why his body was reacting weirdly. The images were now (somehow) getting faster and more intense than before and he refused to even consider acting on them. No matter how strong the urge was, or how often the images flooded his mind, he would ignore them. They would not rule him and Rin would **not** lose control. He would get through this.

Bon unfortunately, did notice that Rin was squirming next to him every now and again, as if something invisible was tickling him. Was there a tickling ghost? A little thing that snuck up to unsuspecting victims and tickled them? Bizarre. He would look it up later. Suguro tried to ignore the movements and constant little shifts. Maybe that was just how he coped with the irritation and pain of the injury he had. Perhaps his knee was itchy and he didn't want to movd it. Who knows? He sure as fuck didn't. Normally when Bon was injured, he avoided moving at any and all costs -since that aggravated it- typically bothering Moriyama and Miwa instead. If he had to put everything into perspective too, he had never been around Rin long enough to pick up his specific tendencies or how he acted when injured -aside from acting like an idiot that is. The TV's nonsense dribbled on, which was a nice filler to have in the background, but somehow it only served to make him think more, which didn't help. 

A second before there was a knock at the door, Rin mentioned that Shiemi was here, rather off-handedly. Bon gave him a look as he moved his food and went to open the door. The look shifted to one of approval and admiration when the half demon was proven correct. The Doctor and Tamer entered with her usual grace, giving Bon a quick hug -obviously due to her polite nature- before running over to the halfling and dropping to her knees at his side. Shiemi was his first friend, one of the few people to always believe in him, no matter what was said or how damaging his actions may have seemed. Rin wouldn't openly admit it, but he held a great deal of respect and care for the woman. She was his rock.  
“What happened Rin?” she asked in that sweet soft voice of hers, brows curled up in concern and her fingers ghosting over the injury. He immediately noticed the scent of Yukio on her, dusted around her neck and hands. Rin wondered when they had met up, but dismissed it, there were better things to focus on, ones that didn't involve his brother or the sight of his friend sprawled out naked and helpless before him. He swallowed the thought away and reset his brain. As he was about to explain how he got injured, Bon stepped in quickly, giving the shortened version of their latest mission, including their conversation on not being left alone. That bit was accompanied with a stern look. Shiemi didn’t react to the injury first, instead she turned to look at Rin with concern.  
“How often _are_ you alone here Rin?” she questioned, tilting her head slightly, her voice was always so soft and sweet.  
He smiled inwardly but was still mildly confused as to why she would ask. Sure they were friends, but she had a shop to run and things to do, places to be and jobs to work; she couldn't drop everything to just hang out with him. That would be utterly absurd. The halfling gave her the same answer he gave Bon earlier, which resulted in the event essentially being repeated. Bon made a point of crossing his arms over his chest and giving him a pointed look that implicitly reeked of _I told you so energy_ but he didn’t acknowledge it. They both kept reassuring him that they would come if he needed them, but he wasn't sure what **need** meant really. Was it an emotional thing? Or maybe when you're really hungry and need to eat, he could get that. Rin didn't want to bother them, so he wouldn't. 

Moriyama, once content that the situation was settled, gestured to his knee and asked for permission to check it out properly. He nodded his approval and she immediately set to examining it, touching it very carefully and inspecting it for anything odd. Mostly, she just sort of frowned intensely and lightly prodded the injury, to which, Rin tried his hardest not to scream. She pouted a little before speaking.  
“I would say that you need surgery to collect all the broken pieces, but since we all know you heal fast, especially from ridiculous injuries, I’m not sure.” she lifted a finger to her lip and thought of another answer. Bon and the Rin exchanged looks of malcontent. The Aria sat on the chair adjacent to Rin and also inspected the guy’s knee, squinting hard. If he was being honest, or hopeful rather. It did look somewhat better than it had when they came home, and Moriyama parroted his thoughts. So something was happening right? If so, what had spurred it? If Bon could figure that out, maybe he could help.

“Do you know why it isn’t already healed?” she asked innocently, unintentionally giving him puppy eyes. Rin fought the rush of blood that decorated his cheeks. He did **not** want to talk about any kind of sex type demon around Moriyama, let alone with the sweet girl. He cleared his throat awkwardly and just barely mentioned the other demon toxin, almost stuttering and looking very self conscious. Bon was covering his mouth with his hand, poorly disguising his laughter. The girl nodded helpfully and gave him a smile. Rin returned it and Bon seemed to be really enjoying his awkward demeanor. If he was in better shape, Rin would have punched the guy by now.  
“It’s a little odd that it only healed a bit, and not completely like it normally would. Maybe it just takes time with the toxin.” she offered, accompanied by a little shrug. The guys nodded along, mostly because they didn’t have the faintest clue either.

“Well, I could give you a general antitoxin shot, but I’m afraid it will do more harm than good.” Rin cringed. He didn’t exactly want to find out what that meant. He mostly pictured sitting in lava for some reason.  
“Is there anything else you could do for him?” Bon asked, reclining back in the chair thoughtfully. He didn’t have an issue with helping the halfling along the house, or to do much of anything else to assist, but if he could make the guy’s life a little easier in any way, he would. The Doctor nodded happily and reached into the little bag that she had brought with her. Moriyama pulled out a pair of crutches and a small sucker. Rin couldn’t help but smile at the girl. His first friend was a lovely person. She flicked the crutches open carefully and got Rin to stand. Bon got up immediately and helped steady the half demon so that Moriyama could measure the length needed so that the crutches were comfortable. She set them both up, measured again and then placed them against the couch. As Rin sat himself again, she handed him the sucker. He muttered a thanks. She smiled at him, gave him a small hug and stood.  
“Please take care of yourself Rin, make sure to call me if you need any more help.” he nodded happily. With that, the girl returned the nod and collected her bag to leave. As she opened the door, she saw Shima, gave him a hug and disappeared. 

Shima let himself in and shut the door carefully. He was wearing different clothes than earlier, a long sleeved black top with some long pants. He also wore simple slipper type shoes. He didn't have any distinct smell to him, which was typical for the guy. Shima was usually a mix of his two friends (Bon and Miwa) and a small hint of what Rin assumed to be sin, but he didn't comment.  
“Hey Rin, Bon.” he greeted with a smile, setting down the items he had in each hand. Rin gave a hello and so did Bon. The Triple Miester moved to give Bon a hug and something snapped within Rin. He was instantly on high alert, a growl erupting from deep within his throat as he eyed the pink haired boy with pointed daggers. The two stopped mid hug and turned to face him, mostly confused, neither one was really scared of the guy, but his reaction was unsettling to say the least. Rin barely noticed what he was doing as he grabbed the crutches and lifted himself up at an incredible speed. He clicked back to reality when Bon placed a hand firmly on his shoulder. He blinked slowly and frowned. “I’m, I’m sorry.” he stuttered, moving back to the couch and curling in on himself. Rin’s hands were shaking and he felt himself breathing unevenly. Something that felt a lot like fear settled in his stomach like an anvil. He swallowed hard and nibbled at his lip. Bon glanced between the two. “Rin.” he started carefully. “I’m sorry.” he repeated, chewing his lip more intensely. Bon moved to sit across from him on the coffee table, while Shima collected his things and moved them to the kitchen. “Is something wrong?” he asked, trying to keep his voice low. Rin’s tail was flicking nervously back and forth and he winced as he pierced his lip with a fang. Bon made a move toward him and Rin instantly pulled back. “I’m sorry. I-I don’t know wha-what happened.” he was internally berating himself for his actions. He was terrified, he barely noticed what he was doing until Bon had stopped him. He had a sudden rush of protectiveness claim him and he needed to defend Bon, even though he wasn’t in any danger. His thoughts travelled by at lightning speed and he wanted to disappear. He really couldn't focus on anything happening around him, the lights in the house were too bright, breathing and movement was too loud and everything just screamed overwhelming. 

Bon was beyond confused at this point and was bordering on worried. Despite that, he kept himself calm to try and reassure him. “Rin, it’s okay.” he said as soothingly as he possibly could, moving to sit next to him. Before he could stop himself, the halfling buried himself into Suguro’s side, clutching onto him like he was his lifeline. To say Bon was surprised would be understating it big time, but he wrapped his arms around his friend nevertheless. He reminded himself of the 'best possible treatment' promise he made to himself.  
“It’s alright,” He assured him, squeezing him slightly. The halfling was shaking almost as much as a jackhammer and his breathing heaved rapidly. Despite that, he just nodded. Shima rounded the corner and took up the single seater, watching the exchange. He wasn't sure what to do, but since his attempt at physical affection had started it, he assumed keeping a distance would be the best plan. He gave Bon a look who just shrugged a little.  
“Are you alright?” he asked the halfling, who was still shaking. Rin didn’t answer. That was unsettling and the Aria wasn’t sure what to do with himself, so he just held Rin closer and ran his fingers through his hair in the most comforting way he could manage. Suguro had never really needed to comfort people before. His friends didn't cry very much and no one really sought him out either, the whole punk look he had going on did seem to get a lot of people horny, but it sure as hell didn't make them feel comfortable.  
He couldn't think of what to say either. He didn't want to become too repetitive to a point of annoyance but somehow, Rin seemed to be recovering, because his breathing began to even out and he nuzzled against Suguro’s torso, kind of like a cat -at least the guy wasn't kneading into him with his claws like a cat.  
He didn’t mind the contact if he was being straight with himself, Rin was lean and easy to hold, he seemed to fit into his arms rather comfortably. It was stange how much he actually appreciated having him to hold onto. Rin also smelled like a campfire with hints of Sandalwood and Suguro would be lying if he said he didn't like it. A part of him wanted to stay there for far too long, basking in the halflings warmth and making sure that he felt safe. Looking after him was somehow, rewarding, in a calming way. He couldn't fully describe it, even if his life depended on it. After a prolonged moment, Rin pulled away and apologized again.  
“Rin, stop apologising. It’s fine.” he said with a firm but not harsh tone. At least he hoped that's how it sounded. How did his voice somehow sound softer when he was trying to comfort Rin? He didn't address it and refocused himself. Rin visibly swallowed as his Adam's apple bobbed up and down, but he gave a nod. 

“Thanks for getting everything for me.” Bon directed at Shima. Something told him that getting the guy out of here would be the best option. The pink haired man nodded and gave a smile. “Since that was all I needed to really do, I’m going to go home now.” he stood up, offered the two a wave and made for the exit. Suguro was happy that he didn't have to ask. He opened the door, paused and then looked back at them.  
“I hope your leg heals up soon, Rin, feel better.” he said good-naturedly.  
“Thanks Shima.” with that, the man left and shut the door. Rin wrapped his arms around himself and rubbed his arms in an attempt to comfort himself. He was so uncertain of himself and what to do, his top priority was to sink into the couch and utterly vanish. Kuro appeared out of nowhere and settled beside Rin on the couch again. Rin wasn't in the mood. Well, he was but not for this.  
_‘Something’s wrong Rin.’_ He said, pawing at his side.  
“What is it?” he asked the silt cat, glancing at him. Bon looked curiously over at the halfling's familiar, curious as to the details of his conversation.  
_‘No Rin, you don’t understand._ You _smell wrong.’_ he frowned, black brows sliding over sapphire eyes. He gave Kuro a look.  
“That isn’t the nicest thing to say Kuro.” he said, not upset but lightly concerned, the cat huffed and gave a quick hiss of displeasure.  
_‘I mean you, like your physical being smells wrong, as if something isn’t right’_ Rin considered this, running through ideas in his head. Since his top priority was disappearing, he didn't exactly mind too much if there was something wrong.  
“I’m sure it’s nothing Kuro, if it gets worse we’ll do something about it okay.” the cat nodded and stopped pawing at him. There was a dip in the conversation.

“And that interaction?” Bon questioned eventually, one brow raised. He was too invested not too. The cat was obviously displeased about something and Bon needed to know.  
Rin shrugged, seemingly not concerned in the slightest.  
“Apparently I smell wrong." He said.  
"What is that supposed to mean?" Bon pried, looking for more of an answer. That had to mean something, especially to demons, maybe something had caused his usual scent to be different. Did shampoo do that? His shampoo was lovely. Bon mentally slapped himself and focused his brain to refocus on the topic at hand. On the rare occasion that Rin did mention that something smelled wrong -regaurdless of what it was or why- it was usually because of a demon getting too close to someone or if someone was around a person or such that had malice intentions, he would typically pick up signs of that and then mention it. Bon still didn't understand how the hell that worked, but it was helpful, so he didn't ask too much.  
Rin shrugged again, almost indifferently.  
"I genuinely don't have a clue." He deadpanned. The older man frowned, looking him over, he was mildly concerned about his tenancy to glare at people, he apparently had a reason for it too because Rin felt unsteady with Suguro’s eyes raking over him like that, but he swallowed his reaction. He was not going to lose control. He was going to get through this and he was going to be okay.  
"And you" he paused briefly. "Ya know, ya aren't worried?" He pressed, confused as to why he didn't seem more concerned for his own health or well-being. Rin shook his head  
"I'm sure it will be fine."  
Bon wasn’t so sure, but he didn’t mention it again. 

The images were becoming more detailed and almost physical. It was genuinely becoming the definition of torture and Rin had to bite his lip to stop the little sighs that wanted to crawl out of his throat and embarrass him. He felt like a poor excuse of an x-rated movie. A low budget porno if you will. The noises and sensations made him want to shrivel up and explode into nothingness. He wanted to become a lawn chair. The fact that his lip was already battered from accidently splitting it earlier didn't make anything easier. The TV blurted out casual nonsense as the two sat in mostly silence. Once again, Rin was wriggling like something was trying to chew it’s way into his skin. He couldn't tell if it was due to him being uncomfortable, being sore, or because of something else. He wanted to help but he couldn't if he didn't know the issue, and blurting out suddenly wouldn't help anyone. Bon was trying not to let it annoy him too much. He couldn't judge when he didn't know all the facts. Mentally he recited Sutras and other scriptures to keep himself somewhat distracted from the constant wriggling. 

Rin fought off the urges about as well as Shima fought off bugs -which was terribly and with a lot of internal screaming. The thoughts forcefully scratched beneath the surface of his almost calm facade with razor tipped nails. Every huff and shift was like a drop of blood being drawn from a wound. He refused to hurt his friend, he would not do anything to harm him. Suguro meant too much to him as a friend and no matter how much he tried to bury it, he had a crush on the guy. Rin had stuffed those feelings way down into the darkest corners of his mind so that he could get through Cram school and basically just trying to stay alive with the Gorgi on his ass constantly. Having a crush on a human, and not just any human, a man, as well as a budding priest. He was practically a walking death wish at this point. He was able to ignore the feelings for the most part, covering them up with comments about how much he liked Shiemi or such. He hated saying things like that but he did it to protect himself. (In some strange roundabout way.) 

Rin subconsciously moved away from Bon as the thoughts intensified. He could practically _**feel** _the man’s hands running down his chest, teasing the muscles of his abdomen and ghosting around his hips. Hot breath fanned across his neck and the half demon couldn’t stop himself from shivering. He grit his teeth with enough force to hear a small crack, but he dismissed it.  
“Hey, are you cold?” his friend suddenly asked, going to touch his forehead with the back of his hand, almost instinctively. The actual physical contact was just _too _much for him and the faintest moan escaped his lips. If Rin wanted to be buried alive eariler, currently he wanted to be disemboweled and _then_ buried alive, maybe Mephisto would even piss on his grave for him.  
Although, if Suguro had heard the noise, he didn’t say anything to acknowledge it. Rin’s cheeks flushed and he felt too hot, like he was boiling from the inside out. He knew that his flames were on the verge of appearing and he didn't want to hurt his friend. The sun was becoming his not so distant relative and that probably wasn't a good thing.  
“I think you have a fever.” Bon muttered with a frown, going to check his temperature against his own. Rin said nothing though, he was holding back so much and trying to restrain his flames made the halfling feel physically ill, his stomach was practically trying to escape through his eyeballs. Despite this, he was still gritting his teeth. He kept repeating to himself:  
_'I will not lose control.'_ over and over. In his ears, whispers of sinful acts taunted him. He was going to die if this crap didn’t stop soon. He was literally going to set himself on fire and melt into a puddle of sadness and regret, perhaps he would leave behind a pathetically charred hand as a fucked up momentoe.  
“Rin you idiot talk to me.” Suguro said firmly, almost snapping but not quite. He grabbed the guy’s shoulders which caused him to jump, squeaking as he did so.  
“What?” he asked in a small voice, his eyes darting across his features at a rapid pace.  
“How do you feel?” he asked, a little too firmly. Rin cleared his throat with effort.  
“I really don’t know how to explain it.” he said softly. (He knew one way to describe it. He had never felt this much strain in his entire life. All he wanted was for Suguro to touch him in any and all ways possible and as much as possible. He wanted to do all of the naughty little things that had invaded his mind but he would not and that made his body react poorly.) He wanted to be skinned alive, eaten by a bear, mauled by an anteater. He wanted an invitation to see Jesus.____

____Instead of saying any of that, Rin swallowed hard and tried to find a way of describing it without being a complete freak.  
“Everything is just too much.” he finally managed, which was about as close as he could get. Bon frowned intensely. He was certain Rin had some kind of demon sickness or flu, this was incredibly strange and he hadn't really heard of anything like it before. Not in class or in any book he had read.  
“You know what, let’s get you to bed and I’ll see what I can find in Yukio’s library.” he said, finally deciding in a course of action. The guy was half human, so maybe he would benifit from a good nap. Rin was trying to argue but Bon was having none of it. He needed to do some research on what was happening and he couldn't do that and look after the guy.  
“Nope, com'on, you need to rest.” With that, the Aria stood up, reached underneath Rin and picked him up, the halfling yelped and quickly gripped around his neck. “I can walk.” he insisted, his tone an octave too high while wriggling in his grasp. Suguro tightened his hold on the Knight Exorcist and started walking towards his bedroom. He just wanted to get him to bed as fast as possible and helping him walk with the crutches felt like too much effort. He needed to help and he could do that once he got to the books, right now he was useless and he wasn't going to stay that way. Rin was much lighter than he had expected and he would be lying to himself if he didn’t admit that he enjoyed holding the guy. He fit in his arms a little too well and Suguro half despised himself for not trying to help Rin out more often, or much at all before this._ _ _ _

____Rin’s internal temperature was now definitely the sun and that was when Suguro finally placed him on his bed. His entire body was going crazy at anything that touched him, regardless of what it was and he was ashamed of how arousing everything was becoming. The half demon wanted to flame up and then burn out, turning into a peaceful cloud of smoke before utterly disappearing, never to be seen again.  
“Get some sleep Rin," Bon said in the most reassuring way he could muster. "We’ll figure out what’s going on and I’m sure everything will be okay soon.” He helped Rin climb under the covers, shut the light off and explained that he would be right there if he was needed. _ _ _ _

____With that, Bon was gone and Rin whined at all the bizarre sensations distracting him from the sweet release of the free trial of death. He had no idea what was happening, inside or outside. His knee was not the only thing throbbing at this point and he tried not to make any loud noises. Despite his best efforts, little sounds still escaped his lips and he was very much going to implode if he didn't sort out this problem. He spent an ungodly amount of time building up the courage to actually climb out of bed. He finally did, and because of how distracted he was, he didn't feel the pain in his knee. Rin quickly made his way into the bathroom, locked the door behind him and set to fixing his problem._ _ _ _

____Rin was so wound up that he nearly came as soon as he touched himself. With all of the images flashing his mind like a sexed up disco, it wasn't hard to find a good rhythm. The halfling kept himself from making too much noise and stroked his dick at an even pace. The relief he felt was immeasurable, and amazing. He no longer had flames ready to burst to life around him and he was cooling down significantly. He kept tugging himself, imagining that it wasn't his hand. It didn't take long for him to release practically all over the place, but he finally felt calm. Rin sighed with relief, feeling as normal as he had before the mission. The thoughts had paused themselves for now and Rin could actually focus on breathing. Once he had come down from his high, he ignored the pain that was slowly coming back to his his knee and set about cleaning the place. It didn't take as long as he had expected, and within a reasonable period of time, he had the place clean, his hands had been washed and his mind was at peace. The halfling gave the place a simple once over. Content with the results the half demon hobbled his way back to his room with only minimal levels of guilt and suicidal ideation._ _ _ _

____\---_ _ _ _

____Suguro was truly worried about Rin. He seemed to be acting completely out of character. Like seriously, him growling at Shima? Then proceeding to somehow shut down and apologise profusely before, and this was the strangest bit, whining and gaining an insane temperature as though the lava fairy had just paid his blood a visit. Bon sat in Yukio's library area sifting through the mounds of books on demons and demonic illnesses. Nothing was turning up that even remotely fit what was going on and he was seriously concerned. Something was fucky and he needed to help his friend. He searched through each book in every section he could think of, yet nothing turned up. He grumbled to himself in irritation but continued looking._ _ _ _

____It was only at about one in the morning that Suguro finally gave up searching. He felt like a failure, he couldn't think of anything that would cause Rin's symptoms and the books did jack shit in assisting him. Nothing about demons, or sicknesses that fit, or of anything remotely useful. Nothing was there. Suguro was beyond frustrated and decided that he would call everyone he knew within the exorcist field until he could get an answer. For now though, the only thing Ryūji Suguro could do to help anyone, was to slip into another pair of clothing before collapsing in the twins spare bedroom._ _ _ _


	4. Chapter  Four

Suguro awoke with a start, his heart thudding like a war drum settled in his head, along with the crowned sheen of sweat. The sound of yelling had pierced his eardrums with enough force to startle him as his eyes snapped open. It took him less than a moment to recognise that it was most certainly Rin, and he was calling out for him. He couldn't exactly place what the tone was but, he doubted that him screaming like that warranted something good. Panic sent his body into overdrive, he couldn't feel his body anymore and his lungs had crawled out of his throat already. The Aria raced out of bed faster than a speeding bullet and practically flew towards the halflings bedside. This is the only moment in which he would praise the fact that the house was bland as hell. At his place, he would have tripped twice before he reached the door.   
He was sure that his feet didn't even touch the ground in this scenario. Every part of him just needed to make sure that Rin was okay. He wasn't sure why, but he knew that he needed to protect him. As soon as he got there though, Rin seemed to pick up on his presence almost immediately. He struggled in bed and Bon didn't have to say a thing before the Knight woke up abruptly. He was breathing raggedly, as though he had just run a marathon and his eyes darted around the room, seemingly searching for hidden threats. Bon wasn't sure what threats they could have been as the scariest thing in that room was almost certainly his unstyled hair. Rin's room, adorned with a few posters, mangas, work files that were half done and a sleeping Kuro in one corner, didn't have any place for a nasty thing to hide. Under different circumstances, he would have questioned the clothing on the floor where Kuro was napping, but he decided against it, instead opting for a more comforting statement.

"Hey, it's alright. You're okay." Suguro assured him, checking his temperature carefully. Fortunately -and much to his relief- Rin felt like his normal warm temperature (since he could literally produce fire at will) and once that was established, he backed off. Suguro didn't want to touch him too much for fear of making him uncomfortable. The halfling was very squirmy the day before and he wouldn't contribute to that. At the very least, Suguro was also relieved to see that Rin had actually gotten _some_ sleep too.   
The half demon was very much inclined to agree with the statement. He felt infinitely better than he did the night before, especially after his (ahem) _problem_ solving endeavor. He wasn't the Sun's second cousin twice removed nor was he having strange images anymore and man was he beyond relieved. Nothing about the day before (besides spending time with Suguro) was fun, at all. Rin had to give himself some form of credit too, he could breathe easy now and know that he wouldn't lose control. He was fine. He did it. 

"What's going on?" Bon continued, scanning the room for threats as Rin had before, despite knowing they were safe.   
"Were you having a nightmare?" The older exorcist asked, still crouched by his bedside, hand held over the other's in a comforting gesture that he barely registered. Rin wasn't uncomfortable with the hand and Bon found his hand on the halfling's to be a secure feeling.   
Rin didn't answer his question, instead he just nodded. He couldn't stop himself from surveying the room once before meeting Suguro’s eyes. He wouldn't let anything happen to his friend. Nothing could harm him, not even Rin himself nor Suguro if he decided to be that dumb. Rin would make certain that Bon was safe and sound. No matter the cost.

And even though Rin knew that he was safe in this room, with Suguro, that nothing could get in -to even look at him funny, despite the security he had with Suguro by his side; the feeling of being hunted still lingered in the room like an unwanted guest. It teased the hairs on the base of his neck and sent shivers down his spine, causing him to clench his jaw. Nothing can hurt them. They are safe, though Rin didn't believe that. Honestly he wasn't sure what to believe anymore, there _must_ have been something at the Garden Centre and if there wasn't, what was happening? Was he just suddenly having a mental breakdown? It wasn't totally out of the realm of possibilities with everything that had occurred in his life. He didn't know and he wasn't sure he wanted to. Rin took in a long breath, clearing his head and studied Suguro. Plain clothes hung along his firm figure, slightly tighter around his torso and thighs as he crouched. The clothing, all a beige-type-grey became a comfortable neutral colour on him and Rin had to appreciate the outline of Suguro's abdominal muscles that ever so slightly made themselves known. Aside from the beauty of the rest of him, the Aria was barefoot. If Rin categorised the outfit, it truly looked like Bon was about to go to his temple and learn some more scriptures, but the fact that his hair was messed up and flicked in all directions told him that he wasn't going out, at least not yet.   
In all fairness, Rin thought it was a rather endearing sight, this was raw Ryūji Suguro, before the hair and punk aesthetic, he would have said something, but he knew better than to comment.

"Did the books tell you anything?" The halfling asked instead, entirely stepping away from how hot his friend looked first thing in the morning and sitting up in bed, wincing. If he was lucky, (and there was a very _very_ slim chance of that.) They could solve this issue today and then pretend that nothing had ever happened, go back to the way things were. However, as predicted, he wasn't lucky, because Suguro sighed and dropped his head, almost in disappointment.   
"I got nothing, I'm sorry." He said, sounding disheartened. Rin shook his head.   
"Don't worry, thank you for trying." He attempted a smile, one that let his fangs show just above his bottom lip. He could live with the pain, it would heal. Now or in a week, and he would be fine.  
Suguro observed the sharp teeth, subconsciously running his tongue over his own. They weren't nearly as sharp and if he was being honest with himself, he didn't know how he felt about that, yet something stirred within him. Something about the teeth intrigued him. Bon had never found Rin to be scary or even intimidating. Sure the guy had his moments where he freaked people out a little, but he had never hurt anyone who didn't have it coming. Rin was protective, territoriale maybe, and definitely loyal but he was **not** violent. Bon's heart sank a little, the comments people had made about Rin both in front of him and behind his back. It crushed him that this guy was viewed in such a screwy manner, that others actually saw him as scary and malicious, purely because he was part demon.  
For fucks sake, the guy made lunch for everyone when he was sad and tried to make people laugh, despite the crap demolishing their spirits around them. Rin always found a way to lighten the mood. Bon needed to make sure that Rin saw how precious he was to so many people, and that he realised his worth. That was his new mission.

Suguro soon picked up that Rin hadn't answered his question about the nightmare, that he had actually dodged it completely. So he decided not to pry. He didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable, then again, why was he so concerned about Rin's comfortability all of a sudden? He dismissed it, ignored the growing silence of the room and spoke up.  
"How is your knee today?" He said, looking over the halfling. At the question, Rin drew back the covers and they both set their eyes on his knee. It didn't look as absolutely disgusting as it did the day before and sure it was still agony, but it was just slightly less horrifying than before, which Rin was thankful for. They locked eyes briefly.  
"Let me guess." Bon started, somewhat sarcastically, raising one brow. "It doesn't hurt that bad?" He half mimicked the halfling and Rin didn't understand why he found that hot. He cleared his head and breathed evenly. It was sore and uncomfortable and _not pleasant._ It sure as shit wasn't fun though Suguro was right. Rin cracked a guilty smile and nodded. Bon followed suit, gently shaking his head.   
"You are insufferable." He said, huffing out breaths in a distorted laugh. "Are you doing okay though?" He checked, his eyes fluttering over the man. Rin nodded again, more firmly, focusing on Suguro.   
"Are you?" He shot back, raising a brow and leaning forward slightly, hiding the wince that shot through him. Bon wasn't expecting that and it was surprising. He wasn't sure how to respond... In short, yes he was, he was fine, doing pretty well. The long answer was a little more complicated than that. 

He wanted to make sure that Rin was safe, that he was happy and taken care of and that he had someone if he needed them. Though he wasn't sure why he felt that or how it had come about. Three years ago he was incredibly hostile upon discovering that Rin was the son of Satan. He was harsh and rude. All the times that he or someone else had snapped at Rin shot through his mind. Sometimes he genuinely felt like a dog for some of the things he had said.   
He felt the need to apologise to Rin. For his actions, his words and the rest of the world's treatment of him, from the moment they met until the present.   
Rin was stronger than anyone he knew, both physically and mentally. Bon wanted to make sure that was known. His heart didn't beat as erratically as it had before the crisis, fortunately things had settled again after the Impure King situation. If they hadn't, firstly he wasn't sure where Rin would be and secondly, he wouldn't have him as a friend, they wouldn't have made things right. Rin was more loyal than anyone he had ever known before, he would be there faster than sound if he was needed. Guilt's heavier than it sounds.

Rin registered that he had slipped into another headspace. A moment after, Bon realised that the halfling was staring at him and he finally answered.   
"I'm good, yeah." Which was probably the worst response he could have given after being weirdly silent for two minutes, and Rin looked sceptical but he didn't voice his thoughts.   
"That's good." He said, looking his friend over, not saying anything more. There was a shift in his demeanour and he frowned.   
"Do you smell bacon?" He asked, looking around the room. Bon frowned and tried to focus on the smell. Sure enough, he could smell bacon, and hear the sizzling.  
"What the fuck?" He asked, locking eyes with Rin.   
"It's probably Ukobach," he said, reasoning with himself, if not, well then he was going mad. Rin moved to climb out of bed, realised his knee was still absolutely fucked and choked out a sound that could, if you used your imagination, sound like a scream. Bon jolted in shock and moved to support him instantly before smiling, knowing the way Rin thinks, he had a comment ready.  
"It's not that bad." He said in a playful, mocking tone, meeting his eyes. Rin rolled his and stifled a chuckle.   
"You're mean.”  
Bon smirked. "And you're an adorable idiot." Rin looked away from him and he took that as an opportunity to get up and lift him again. The halflings' crutches were still in the living room and he wasn't going to fetch them and then bring them when there was a much easier solution.   
"Com'on, let's go." He said, scooping Rin up and tossing him slightly to get a better grasp. This time, he didn't yelp in panic, instead he just sighed and wrapped his arms around Suguro’s neck. He growled a little, not in a threatening manner, more out of annoyance.  
"I can walk." He grumbled, frowning in a particularly unflattering way.  
"And I _can_ drop you." He retorted, raising a brow at the man in his arms. Rin gave him a look but didn't comment, he grumbled again and adjusted his hold around his neck, accepting this instead of arguing more. Suguro carried him carefully through the corridor and into the living room, making sure to not walk into or let Rin hit his feet on anything, because the resounding effect of that wouldn't be pleasant for anyone, and Suguro was a little worried that Rin might bite him as a result like a scared cat. A part of him didn't think that the idea would be that bad -maybe even pretty nice- and the rest of him judged that thought. He dismissed that and kept going. He enjoyed holding Rin, it was strangely comforting and he liked to have him close. He wished he had hugged him more before now. He had missed so many opportunities to do so. He was so focused elsewhere that he nearly walked into the couch, Rin yelling in panic did bring him back. He stopped and apologized. He finally turned and was about to put him down when Rin complained again. 

"Seriously Suguro you don't have to carry me everywhere. I can walk." He was whiney and Bon was not about to take this bullshit. He was going to look after him and Rin was going to be happy about it. "Rin, stop with this shit. For the last time, I'm looking after you and if you bitch again, I will shut you up." He said, just for the sake of being scary, dropping him on the couch and pointing a finger. In a momentary lapse of judgement, Rin challenged him. "Really? How so." He raised up slightly and pressed on. "Hmm? Will you make me." He taunted, a little too into the moment. Bon licked his lips and raised both brows. "Rin. I will fuck you up." He said, lowering his voice to seem more intimidating. He wasn't going to deal with this, but Rin's next words made him consider things.  
"Why don't you just fuck _me_ instead." He blurted out and instantly went bright red. 

Before either one could say anything, a loud noise came from the kitchen. It was Ukobach throwing a pan across the room. Rin knew that well, especially before their little cook off. It also happens when he gets really frustrated.   
"What?" He called, sitting up and looking in the direction of the kitchen. Ukobach stood on the counter, where the room had a folding-in curtain thing that allowed for the kitchen to open. He had his hands on his hips and did not seem pleased, brows furrowed down and annoyed scowl plastered across his features. He looked angry -Bon thought that he always looked angry so he wasn't sure. After a moment he started chattering and Rin smiled.   
"I'm not sure." He said, waiting for a response. Suguro watched the two with interest.   
"That won't happen, but on the very slim chance that it ever does, I'll make sure to tell you beforehand." Ukobach nods, apparently satisfied with the answer and jumps back to cooking. Bon gave the halfling a bewildered look.   
"What the fuck was that?" He asked.  
Rin let out a breathy laugh and didn't make eye contact, clearly more invested in the room than him.   
"He asked if I was serious and then said that if we did, uh." He choked over his words rather awkwardly. "Follow through. To not do it infront of his cooking." He chuckled. Bon shook his head in disbelief.   
"Really? Not in front of the food?" He almost laughed himself. It was so silly he almost forgot what Rin had just said.   
Not even a second had passed until something was said.   
"So." He started, still standing in front of Rin on the couch, trying not to sound desperate or confused. "Were you, uh, serious?" Rin visibly tensed and made a strangled noise in the back of his throat. He also completely disregarded the question.   
"When am I ever serious." He said, monotonous as he looked back to the kitchen.   
"Thanks for cooking Ukobach." He called, giving a small smile, resulting in the demon giving a grunted response.

Whatever the fuck that just was, Bon wanted to talk about it, because it was bizarre and weird and he wasn't sure why the idea didn't immediately upset him. He had never considered himself gay, nor anything else really. He was always more focused on studying, learning his Sutras and looking after himself and his friends. Mostly Suguro just went with the flow, if someone showed interest and he was interested too, he would see where things went, test the waters out. Thus far a guy had yet to ask him out and he hadn't been interested in any men. Rin though? He was actually a little intrigued.   
Rin could be rather affectionate -very affectionate if you count the way he held Suguro when he was upset- and he was always loyal, regardless of who it was or what happened. He also tried to be helpful, he didn't always get it right but it's the thought that counts. Sure he was a dumbass but that was just a loveable quirk he had. Now wasn't the time to make any moves though. Rin had shown interest, and he's open to the idea, however Rin was injured and as a result of that, probably in a rather screwy headspace. Thinking about it just made him feel guilty. He respected the guy too much to even consider acting on any ideas until he was fully healed. Or at the very least could prove he was of sound mind. He was beginning to sound like a lawyer, and that wasn't a profession he felt like entering today. 

Bon refocused himself on Rin's injured knee. It did, on some small level, look better than it had the day before. What were they doing before his leg healed slightly? Suguro thought back to it, weren't they just sitting down and eating dinner?   
There was a small bit of banter but that was it, he internally frowned. It didn't make sense. The books gave him nothing, his own knowledge was more blank than the walls of this place and he had yet to ask a more experienced exorcist.   
Currently, he has nada. Fuck all -proper diddly squat. He even went to bed at one am, only to wake up at eight. Hell, he didn't even go on his usual morning run. One day and his entire schedule had been flipped every which way. What Suguro found to be the weirdest bit of it, was that he didn't mind. Normally he would get irritated that his plan had been reset and that he would have to change things. The idea of just sitting around with Rin, talking and relaxing didn't sound so bad. 

Rin watched Suguro stare into space for a good minute before saying anything.   
"Uh, are you going to stand there forever?" He asked. The older exorcist looked at him before shaking his head and taking a seat next to him. If sitting beside him helped -and he had absolutely no fucking clue if it did- then he would do it. The energy in the room shifted like smoke in a gentle wind. The elephant had appeared and was now sitting on the couch adjacent to them, watching them intently. Nothing could be more awkward or uncomfortable than this. Literally nothing. They didn't speak, they sort of stared around the bland walls until Ukobach called them for breakfast. The two thanked him happily and Suguro helped Rin get to the dining table to eat. It was awkward at first but ultimately not too bad. They settled and began eating their breakfast. 

Rin wondered what was going through Suguro's mind as they ate. On his end, his insides hurt like they were being deprived of blood somehow and his knee was on fire, but he didn't have any other thoughts on his mind, much to his relief. He hoped that never happened again. He was mentally exhausted from trying to restrain himself, he never had to try so hard before, and he had just blurted out something stupid like a fucking idiot. Suguro was probably uncomfortable with him now and he wasn't sure how to fix that. Perfectly paired with this disaster was the fact that Rin wasn't exactly in the place to speak or make conversation currently, going back to sleep for a while sounded like a good option.   
Suguro on the opposite end of the spectrum was going through demon illnesses in his head. He was thinking about each and every little detail he had ever heard, yet nothing fit and he was getting frustrated. He was eating his food rather aggressively without meaning to and Rin was getting worried. He didn't want to upset Suguro and he wasn't sure how to act. Kuro was uselessly sleeping on the couch and Ukobach was nowhere to be seen. They were practically as alone as they were ever going to get and Rin wasn't sure how to feel about that. A small side of him rolled in the thought of what could happen and the rest of him felt crippled.

Rin cared for Suguro in more ways than he could count and to say he was confused would be a rather disappointing understatement. Boggled and very discombobulated would be slightly more accurate to the state his mind was in. The little brain gremlins were slow today. He couldn't think of conversation outside of work and he felt jumpy. Nothing to say, his food was dwindling and his chest was constricting. The place felt ridiculously dusty today, like a construction sight. It was hard to breathe, but not impossible, so Rin decided that it was fine and he would ignore it until he couldn't. Which was his usual solve for things. 

Suguro was enjoying his food and watching Rin, who seemed to be contemplating his general existence and breathing deeply. What else would be going through his head. Knowing the guy, he was probably drowning in self depreciation from his earlier comment. Hr wanted to assure him that everything was okay, but he couldn't word it. Suguro was fortunate enough that he could brush it off. It was both weird and interesting to think of. But it wasn't something he would truly pursue without knowing it would be reciprocated or wanted. He thought back to class. He always thought Rin was cool in some way and he was relaxing to hang out with when he did spend time with him.   
Rin always pissed him off though because he never did his best in his work. He was sleeping in class, dismissing things or generally screwing things up. Usually that was by accident but he still did it. Somehow, this suddenly reminded him of their paperwork. The paperwork they were meant to do, since they had completed the mission yesterday... and no one had done the paperwork!   
"Shit." He cursed a little too loudly, standing up from the table abruptly and making it shake. Rin got a shock as he did so, moving to copy him -standing up- and before he could comment he was flailing like a twat and the result was him plummeting towards the ground at a strange pace. It felt as if this moment had shifted into slow motion, he could see the ground coming towards him, but he couldn't move fast enough to stop himself. Sugruo obviously noticed this and tried to assist by jumping forward, however he kicked the table, stepped weirdly and then missed catching the halfling by an inch, instead slapping his arm roughly just before he hit the floor. Rin landed with a resounding thud and a pained groan. 

He was face first on the floor, sprawled out as expected with his legs straight. His knee was once again rivaling the son and this time his face was joining in pain-party. His top lip felt uncomfortable, with a terrible burning sensation. His chest ached. His arm was also burning like hell, since Suguro had clupped him in the poorly executed rescue attempt.   
"Aw fuck. I'm sorry. Are you okay?" Suguro came forward and helped Rin up, ultimately lifting him again and carrying him to the couch. He placed him down carefully and stood back, looking very apologetic.   
"N'm fine." He said, as he raised his head. Suguro nearly gasped but he bit it back quickly. "No you're not." He countered, swiftling moving to get some tissues. Rin wanted to argue but as soon as he tasted copper, he fell silent. Bon handed him the tissues and he held them to his face. He pulled them back to reveal a fair amount of blood. Of course his upper lip hurt. He has fangs and he fell face first. "Motherfuc-" he cut himself off and placed it back. This was just spectacular. Exactly what he needed, especially now. Today. He growled internally and leaned back.

"I'll go get some more ice." Suguro said softly, leaving Rin for a moment. The guy blamed himself for the new injury and wanted to punch a wall as a result, but he steeled himself and went off. Kuro replaced him as he came running into the room a bit like he did the day before -suddenly and loudly.  
 _'How are you this much of a hazard?'_ he asked, seating himself beside Rin and looking crestfallen, pawing at him.   
"Well I'm not normally this much of a hazard." He said back sullenly, having some difficulty. Firstly his face hurt and his chest was uncomfortable. Rin maneuvered his tongue to gently prod around the area where he had idiotically split his lip. His bottom lip was still split from the day before, and this wasn't just a normal cut. He had somehow managed to mangle a good centimeter or two of his upper lip as he hit the ground. Or bit the ground in this case. His knee was the usual concentration of agony and his chest still reminded him of the suffrage that was the need to draw in air, but he expertly ignored it.  
 _'No you aren't. I said something was wrong Rin!'_ Kuro muttered, frowning at the half demon and pawing harder.   
"And I said it was fine Kuro." Rin answered as calmly as possible. He just wanted to sleep again without the demonic gargoyles following him. He wished to close his eyes and rest without his entire body screaming for him to re-enact the most inappropriate manga he had seen on Shima's bookshelf. At the rate today was going, Rin would probably be shot and choke on ice cream. 

Bon sighed and got the ice. Why didn't he have faster reflexes? If he was quicker Rin wouldn't have hurt himself again. God. He was meant to be looking after the guy, not causing more problems. He brought the ice through, listening to Rin argue with his familiar.   
"Is he still going on about the wrong smell thing?" Suguro asked, handing Rin the ice with a wince. He had really fucked up his lip, and his knee. What was going on with him?   
"I guess you could say that." He muttered, taking the ice and cursing as he held it to his face. These last couple of torturous hours have really taught him that he takes his demonic healing for granted. At least in his sleep he wasn't in agony.   
"I'm sorry."   
Rin looked up and frowned. His shirt was ruined, the floor was bloody and the entire situation was a proper mess. Yet the halfling’s expression shifted and he smiled.   
"You tried to help, you don't need to be sorry." He told the Aria simply. Bon shrugged and gave him a sympathetic look. God the guy was so weirdly endearing. How did he make Bon want to hold him and punch him in the face at the same time?   
He didn't have an answer so he just sighed and sat down on the small couch adjacent to him. 

The room was silent for a moment before Rin spoke.   
"So uh. Why did you suddenly shout 'shit' and stand up?" Talking sounded messed up and if he wasn't in so much pain, he would have laughed. Bon chuckled, still feeling bad for him.  
“No one has done the paperwork for the mission.” he said, giving Rin a look. They both knew that meant getting shit from Yukio, and perhaps even Shura. Both were terrifying, and very unpleasant.   
“Shit,” Rin agreed, earning a smile from Suguro.   
“I saw report papers in your brother’s library, so I’ll get started on those." He stood up. "Do you want me to put a movie on or somethin’?” he asked, gesturing back at the TV. Rin shook his head.   
“Don’t you want some help on the report?” Suguro tried not to look shocked at that comment. Rin hadn’t ever shown any interest in work, regardless of what it was. So this was a new development. He sort of frowned at him but didn't object.   
"Sure, sounds good." So with that, Rin collected his crutches, giving Bon a look, probably just to spite him and they made their way over to Yukio's study. 

\---

Filling in the report was fairly simple. Suguro wrote because he had neater handwriting and Rin added details in here or there about the mission. It felt like those few times when they did homework together because everyone decided to help him, uh, _not_ get casually murdered by the Giorgi. It was strangely peaceful. Bon enjoyed his work, his studies and his meditation times, though something about working with Rin on this made him feel, happy. It was bizarre and weird but he loved it. They went through the report again, made sure everything was in order and then finalised it before setting it aside. 

"That was a lot less painful than I expected it to be." Suguro said, straightening up the desk and the surrounding area, mostly out of habit.   
"I know I'm bad at work but that's just mean." The halfling said, frowning. A part of him knew that Rin was joking, however he wondered if Yukio had said something to him about that before. God he wanted to have a talk with that guy. Who did he think he was? Shoving disgraceful thoughts into Rin's head about his appearance and mannerisms.   
Douchebag.   
"I meant the paperwork." Suguro corrected, trying to explain it without making Rin feel small, "Not the working with you bit." He adjusted a final object. "That part was rather pleasant, actually." He admitted, with that he turned and went for the exit as the halfling stuttered. He got his crutches and followed him out as fast as possible. He didn't have an answer so he just made a noise as he struggled down the hall after Bon. They ended up in the living room, with Suguro setting the papers aside before stopping to face Rin. 

"Do you mind if I shower?" He asked, somewhat abruptly, leaning back on the table behind him. Rin frowned before he shook his head.   
"No, why would I?" He adjusted his grip on his crutches and waited for the response.  
"Dunno, some people are really protective of their showers." He said. "I'll be back shortly. Please don't die." He added offhandedly, pushing against the table to start walking. Rin cracked a smile, one that hurt immensely with his screwed up lip and said.   
"Well that isn't on the agenda today."  
Bon chuckled and turned back to give him a look, "Oh yeah. And what is?" Rin swallowed hard as Suguro raked his eyes over him again in that strangely appreciative, very nice yet also a tiny bit creepy way. Since he didn't have an answer, the older exorcist just smiled and made his way to the guest room to get his things. 

Rin stood, leaning against the dining table, bright red and flustered for a whole two minutes before he plucked up the courage to actually change his clothing. Today would either be fantastic, or utterly horrible and he mentally prayed that it would be the first one.


	5. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this is late; I got distracted with other things

Rin's outfit was practically chosen for him. He couldn’t wear anything longer than his thighs (for obvious reasons) so he had to pick shorts -black ones with comfortable pockets. He sifted through his cupboard, considered how chilly it was and ended up taking out a blue long sleeved shirt and some slippers. He wasn't going out today, so appearances didn't really matter all that much. Kuro was sort of milling about the place and a part of him expected Bon to leave today, perhaps at lunch time, and he mentally planned out how he would get around. From one room to another, back and forth. While doing this, he began stripping from his clothing, first his shirt and then sitting on the end of the bed to prevent further harm (since that seemed to be a reoccurring theme recently.) Rin removed the rest of his clothing, pulled on a fresh pair of underwear and then dragged on the new clothes. He adjusted the fabric to sit more comfortably around his form and made a mental note to throw his other clothing into the wash when Bon was out of the shower. He suddenly remembered the cursed pair of pants sitting disgaarded in the corner of the dining room, but he ignored it. He would sort those out later. 

Rin tried to plan a bit ahead, but he was far too distracted for that, his mind kept wandering back to Suguro's words earlier, after he mentioned that dying wasn't on the agenda today. His comment before his shower was stuck on repeat:  
‘ _Oh yeah. And what is?_ ’  
His entire body warmed at the thought. Was that him suggesting something? If so, what was the suggestion? How did he respond if it happened again, also, how the fuck did he get back to the topic? He sighed internally and moved on.

Rin collected his crutches, found his phone on the bedside and slipped it into his pocket before exiting rather unsteadily. He hadn't ever needed to use crutches before now and it was the most finicky thing he had ever experienced. It was also dangerous, one misstep or poorly placed crutch would result in him tumbling down, -and that _certainly_ wasn't on the agenda… Again. He hobbled like a very cautious goblin down the corridor, past the bathroom and into the living room, sitting himself on the couch, lifting one leg and placing his crutches beside him. Both actions caused immense amounts of discomfort, and his lip was still on fire, but he ignored it. The dull ache he had all over reminded him of the fact that he still had demonic toxins running through his body, to which he debated as to whether or not he should be messaging Shura about the situation again, but in the end he decided against it. He wouldn’t bother her. Rin's brain was in six places at once and yet he felt exhausted. He shifted with difficulty to lay down on the couch, he would just rest a bit until Suguro came back, as far as anyone was concerned this was practically another day at home.

Suguro didn’t take too long to shower, he did the usual, washed everything, mentally planned his day and then stopped the water, grabbing a towel and drying himself off. Since Bon had already chosen what he was going to change into, he dressed himself in a pair of sweatpants, a casual grey shirt and some simple shoes. He ruffled his hair dry and debated as to whether or not he should style it. He then remembered that he didn’t have anything to actually style it with, so he couldn’t either way. Suguro shrugged, hung up the towel and exited the bathroom with his other clothes. He set them on the guest bed, folded neatly and stretched, shortly after he made his way towards the living room. He wasn’t sure when he would be going home, but it wasn’t going to be soon. Rin was still injured and that meant that he had to help. He was reminded of the ‘Best possible treatment’ promise he made and sighed. He didn’t have a problem with staying here, none at all. He just wanted his clothes and other necessities. They weren't of the utmost importance though, his friend was. He considered the banter they had shared over the last day or or and wondered why the word didn't fit Rin anymore. Was he a good friend now? A romantic interest? That was a possibility, but so was the option that Rin was just delirious. Which would be pretty shitty. Now wasn't the time to mentally duel with whether or not Rin found him attractive. He brushed these concerns off and looked down to find Rin laying down on the couch. He leant over and observed him, frowning slightly.  
“Hey, you feeling okay?” he asked, moving around the couch, lifting his head and sitting before placing his head on his lap. It just seemed like the most natural thing to do, he wasn't sure how their relationship had settled into this, but he was happy that it had. This was also ridiculously comfortable, plus there weren't any complaints from the halfling. Rin just gave a weak nod.  
“Mmhm. I’m just really tired.” he muttered, nuzzling his head into Bon's lap and breathing heavily. 

Suguro found this incredibly endearing, for whatever reason, Rin seemed to have a knack for tickling the softer side of him. He didn't know how their relationship had simplified to this point, especially after Rin's earlier comment, but he was pleased that it did. Rin was warm, not feverishly warm but warm like sitting beside a fire on a cold night, he was just the right amount of heat to keep one cozy. Bon couldn't remember the last time he felt so at ease -with anything really- ever since cram school and so on, it was just study, work, hang out a bit and then repeat. He had his system, wake up at five thirty, go for a run, be sure to do at least an hour or two of weight training, practice his Mantras and then go to bed. This was the first time in a long time that he didn't stick to that. He relaxed back into the chair and began absent-mindedly running his fingers through Rin’s hair. This spectacularly resulted in him nuzzling into Bon a bit more, all while making a soft purring sound in the back of his throat. Suguro held back a laugh, not one of mocking, but of endearment. He didn’t expect Rin to make such a noise when he was comfortable, it was a sweet thing. A small nagging sensation tugged in his gut, it burned and bothered. He wanted to find out what other sounds Rin could make. He flushed slightly and refocused himself. He couldn't get distracted.  
“So, is this a mental or physical kind of tiredness?” he asked, looking down to make sure that Rin was situated comfortably. He shrugged against his legs, and sighed gently.  
“I’m just exhausted. It hit me like a bus.” he explained in a soft voice, not giving anything else. Bon continued stroking his hair, he appreciated how soft it was. The strands that fell across his face and in his eyes just seemed to fit his being, his eyes were so captivating they needed a frame.

Bon was about to comment on his statement when Rin’s phone buzzed. The halfling obviously wasn't pleased about that, as he grumbled low in his throat and got his phone out of his pocket begrudgingly. He sighed incredibly heavily when he checked it and Bon couldn't help but glance down to see what he was looking at. It was a message from Yukio. He copied Rin in sighing and groaned internally, disgruntled. Of course it was him. God. The guy seemed to have a knack for causing trouble, the less tangible kind than Rin did. He opened the message and his mood definitely didn't improve.  
**Moriyama just told me of your injury. Why didn’t you call me?**  
His first thought to respond was to call him an asshat and delete his contact, but he couldn't do that. Bon wasn’t going to let Rin deal with this crap. He knew that this would spiral into something else and today was not a day where that would slide, so he snatched the phone from the half demon and began typing. Rim was clearly too tired to fight him on that, so he just hoped that Suguro wouldn’t say something too bad. An angry Yukio wasn't something he wanted right now. Though in all fairness, He got that regardless.  
**Hello Okumura, Suguro here. Rin is doing fine, there isn’t much for us to do except let him rest. He's in good hands. Don’t worry.**  
He thought that being brief and clear would be the best way of responding. Yukio was more receptive to logical arguments than anything else. He didn't want to start a fight or let this continue because Rin needed rest right now, and being around Yukio in any capacity was exactly the opposite of peaceful. The younger twin seemed to breathe and exude stress and tension, he was the human equivalent of messing a step when walking downstairs -being around him was always like walking on eggshells mixed with broken glass, no matter how carefully you tread, you were always under the threat of being cut. Ryūji made a mental note to deal with him, he wasn’t going to let him bother Rin, that would go against his little promise. 

“Don’t worry Rin, everything’s fine.” Suguro told him simply, going back to playing with his hair, scratching his scalp gently. Apparently he was really tired because he didn’t even respond. Bon wasn’t going to bother him though. He thought about whether or not he should just leave Rin’s phone, let it be, but he couldn’t help himself. Rin’s tail was twisted carefully around his thigh and he was breathing deeply, he seemed peaceful, which wasn't a common occurrence. Mentally scolding himself, but reasoning that it was for the greater good; Suguro scrolled back through the chat Rin had with his younger sibling. He didn't expect it to be this bad; shitty, sure, but _this? _He found himself growing more and more infuriated the longer he scrolled through. Yukio wasn’t just scolding him for reckless things he did, but he was actually being incredibly ruthless. Every little detail that he could possibly consider, Rin would be chastised about. He meant everything. This included, but was not limited to: his hair, fangs, tail, his ears, the way he spoke, how he did his work and even the way he walked around the apartment. Nearly every part of his life had been criticised, constantly. And this bullshit was just over text! Suguro was utterly fuming and he wouldn’t be surprised if that was the reason Rin stirred slightly. He had the senses of a bloodhound on crack, and that included when people experienced strong emotions.  
"Are you okay?” he mumbled slowly, rolling slightly to look up at him. He squinted with the light behind him but the look in those shining sapphire eyes painted Suguro’s chest with agony. The way Rin spoke sounded like he was in pain, as though his lungs had just reformed from stone and he wasn’t sure how he could help or stop it. He steeled himself and gently scratched the base of his neck.  
“I’m perfectly fine,” he said, closing the app and locking the half demon’s phone -if he read anymore now he would crush the phone in his hand, and no one would be pleased with that.  
Suguro instead took out his phone and decided to message Shura.  
**-Morning Kirigakure, Okumura Rin got injured and isn’t healing due to a demonic toxin--**  
He continued to explain the situation, very casually leaving out his grudge with Yukio and made sure that he added as much detail as possible. Hopefully she would know something and that would help him. For now however, he just had to make sure Rin was okay.__

__His job got a helluva lot harder when the door opened suddenly, both Rin and Suguro jumped at the slight creek, since it opened so violently. Yukio shut it with the same amount of force behind him and looked at the two. He took two steps forward and the dark glint in his eye caused Suguro to shift uneasily, something about that look made their previously comfortable position seem forbidden, taboo almost. He wanted to shove the halfling aside and pull all his limbs in to be as small as possible, but he wasn’t going to give in that easily. Rin slowly sat up next to him and hissed as he moved his knee. His brother wasn't as sympathetic to the noise as Suguro expected him to be, which only served to piss him off more.  
“What is this?” Yukio practically demanded, his voice lower and more aggressive than he had ever heard before. While saying this, he was gesturing in their direction. Rin visibly flinched at the words, seeing that ignited a fire inside Suguro. _ _

__Within a second his mind had set out a plan. He started a call on his phone to Rin’s, considering that he still had his phone and made sure it connected. Part one complete. He pocketed his device.  
“He was just taking a nap.” he started. “He’s hurt and tired. Have some fucking consideration for your brother.” he snapped, frowning intensely, he was pissed that Rin was hurt, he was even more peeved with the fact that Yukio cares more for how they were laying over the fact that his brother was injured. So what if Suguro blew off a little steam on the Middle First Class exorcist, he deserved it. Yukio appeared shocked at his words, probably because Bon had just clapped back at him. Not many people have been able to get away with it, except for his superior Shura, of course.  
A flicker of what seemed to be hatred flashed across his eyes.  
“This does _not_ involve you Suguro.” the younger twin said, his voice low and menacing. Rin was sitting straight as a board at this point with his hands in his lap, looking down. Yukio acting like this clearly wasn't a rare occurrence. A flash of sympathy panged through Suguro; how long had this been a problem without him noticing? Suguro schooled the inferno inside of him and got ready for a fight._ _

__“It does now Okumura-kun. You wanna know why?” the duel haired man took this opportunity to stand up and return the dark glare, letting all the pent up negativity pour into the look. “Because _you_ weren't here.” he said the words slowly, letting them marinate in the air, except this dish wasn't going to be served cold. Yukio needed to realise what was happening here. His constant criticism of Rin, and his clearly neglectful tendency of leaving him alone consistently had to end, or else Suguro would force it to.  
The Dragoon was about to talk but Suguro beat him to it, fed up with his crap.  
“You. Weren't. Here.” he repeated, emphasizing the words, pointing an accusing finger in his direction. “If I hadn’t come here with him, Rin would probably be more injured." He drew in a sharp breath and let it out in an incredulous chuckle. "And if you were here... It might have been worse.”  
Yukio completely disregarded that last bit, probably because he didn't have a good rebuttal, instead pushing on with a separate point.  
“That’s because he’s clumsy.” Yukio justified, waving his hand in Rin’s direction, as if his words and actions had no effect on the halfling. “He usually heals right up.” Bon was losing his patience. He was not going to take this crap and he sure as shit wasn’t going to let Rin take it either._ _

__Suguro collected the little voice telling him to punch Yukio in the dick, and instead, with the most calm voice he could manage, said: “With all due respect Okumura-kun, currently that isn’t the case.” he turned away and knelt down next to the couch to whisper in Rin’s ear. Bon made a point of addressing Yukio with a less formal and more disrespectful title, purely because he was irritated.  
“Rin, I’m going to get my things." He started tentatively. "then I’m taking you away. I’m sorry, but I'm not letting you stay with him.” Rin was about to argue, mostly about the fact that he didn't _sound_ sorry, but Bon pulled back and gave him a knowing look, it wasn't mean, but it was firm. The halfling sighed and nodded his understanding.  
“When I get back, and I won’t be long," he promised, "get anything you need. I don’t care how he tries to trick you, you’re coming with me.” The halfling swallowed hard and looked between the two, clearly conflicted. Bon thought he knew why, but he was only half right. Rin was conflicted because he had to choose between his brother, the one he had loved and sworn to protect, and the one his entire being was screaming to be with. Somehow, every cell in his body wanted- no _needed_ to be around him.  
Yukio's eyes were going over his older sibling with something akin to disgust, raking up and down, almost infecting him; and Bon wasn’t certain as to how Rin would process that. Knowing the guy he would probably internalise it and then ignore it like the dummy he was. It was a known fact that Rin wouldn’t fight nor hurt his brother, regardless of outside intervention. However, Suguro had to consider things on the other hand: _What would Yukio do?_  
“Rin, you aren’t going anywhere.”  
So he started with commands? He was disappointed in his old sensei. He used to have a great deal of respect for him.  
Bon stood up again, stared daggers at the twin and ground his teeth.  
“You do not _own_ him.” Suguro snarled, anger and disappointment rather evident across his features.  
“You don’t control him and you sure as hell aren’t going to be looking after him.” he snapped. Yukio was about to argue back, probably some pathetic attempt at regaining control of the situation, however Bon raised a finger in his direction, giving him a hard look.  
“Nuh uh, not this time Okumura-kun.” _ _

__Despite Rin's minor stupor at the unfolding events, he had to admit that protective and dominant was a very hot look on Suguro. The younger twin fell silent and Bon took that as his cue to leave. He moved past Yukio and to the door, gave Rin a last hopeful look and ducked out. He turned the volume up on his phone and practically flew down the stairs and towards the exit. Suguro barely had a thought go through his head as he rushed home. He needed to pack some items, his books, a handful of cash and clothing, among other things. He also needed to do this as quickly as possible. Rin would probably crumble underneath the sheer force of will his brother had, but Rin didn’t realise that he had that same iron will. He just needed to trust him. He decided to shoot Rin a text.  
**-Trust me**  
He didn't wait for a response as he passed numerous buildings and people that he didn’t pay any mind to, he had a job to do, and if he was lucky, Shima would have a spare Link Key that he could connect to a doorway in order to get back to Rin faster._ _

__Time became a blur as he ran, he wasn’t dressed to be out, let alone running down the street, but he carried on. Finally, he arrived at the front door, knocking hard to get someone to open it. Within a moment or so Miwa opened the door, looking at Bon with a confused frown.  
“Bon, what’s the matter?” he asked, following him through their shared place.  
“I need to get my things quickly.” was all he answered with as he sped through the apartment, grabbing a bag, his clothes and everything else. They couldn’t stay here and Rin was not going to be at his place because screw Yukio, so that left another friend’s place or a hotel. He considered his options as he was going. He pulled his phone from his pocket and listened. It sounded like arguing but it wasn’t Rin and Yukio, it was Yukio and what sounded like Ukobach, which would make sense. He couldn’t make out exactly what was being said, so he tried talking.  
“Rin?” he called, stuffing things into his bag mindlessly.  
“Do you need a Key?” Miwa asked from the side, who had settled into the fact that Suguro was leaving and he was subsequently just handing him things to shove in his bag. Bon stopped and looked at him.  
“Do you have one?” he questioned, a little too loud. The man with glasses nodded. “I don’t even want to know where you got it from. Can I borrow it please?” he nodded again and walked off to retrieve it.  
“Hello,” Rin finally answered, sounding exhausted and tense.  
“Hey, what’s going on?” Bon finalised everything that was inside his bag, double checking his mental list.  
“Ukobach stopped Yukio from following me to my room. They’re arguing as to whether I should go or not.” he explained. He really didn’t sound good, and how was he getting around too? Crutches or the _idiot_ way?  
“Okay, I’m sorry this escalated and I’m also sorry, I can’t let you stay with Yukio.” this time, he sounded sorry. Though Rin didn’t challenge him on that front, instead, he asked in a small voice:  
“Where are you taking me?”_ _

__Hearing Rin sound so vulnerable and small felt wrong. It set his body on fire with too many emotions to count. This wasn’t his usual demeanor, this was him stressed out and scared, which isn’t what anyone needed. Bon wasn’t even sure as to why he cared so bloody much, but he pressed on.  
He cared, and right now he didn’t need a reason.  
“I’m not sure yet, but anywhere is better than your apartment.” he explained, zipping up his bag and waiting expectantly for Miwa. He was breathing hard, in long ragged gasps, but he was here and he could get back to Rin faster. The halfling didn’t say anything that would warrant an argument, so Bon tried to calm himself.  
“I’ll be back shortly okay.” he promised into the phone.  
“Okay.”  
Miwa came back with the Key in hand.  
“I don’t know what’s going on, but I know you.” with that, he gave Bon the Key, gave him a hug and walked away with a final sympathetic look.  
“Thank you.” _ _

__Bon went to the door, slipped the Key in, unlocked it and drew back the door. He stepped in with his bags and appeared in the bathroom of the Okumura twins apartment. Much to his relief, it was empty. He quickly moved to Rin's room, where he found the halfling sitting quietly, Kuro over his shoulder and a bag in front of him. His crutches were by his side. Bon gave him a smile as he looked up._  
"I'm going to get the things I left behind and then we're leaving." He said. Rin's expression was difficult to read, but he nodded anyway. Suguro did as he said, slipping the other clothes he had into the side of the bag and going back to collect Rin. He paused in the corridor as his phone buzzed. Shura had texted him back.  
**Yukio has had a stick up his ass the last two days. I have an idea of what it could be but I need to double check. Can we meet up soon?**  
He was relieved to hear back from her, and she may have the answers they were looking for! This was going to be promising._


	6. Chapter Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a smidge of a filler but don't worry, what you joined for will follow soon...

Time at the moment was as meaningless as Yukio's opinion (in Bon's eyes at least) and somehow the sun had begun its descent far too early. It was as though several hours of the day had just been skipped like a video game, poof, gone. It was practically already dusk and the day was far from productive. All they had achieved was Rin splitting his lip, -which Bon still felt bad for- them having a moment of peace and comfort before the whole event of Suguro pissing off their old teacher and for some strange reason, he felt like a fugitive. He hadn't broken any laws nor did he intend to, yet he still felt hunted. If he was running, was it because of Yukio's law or something else? Ryuuji let that thought go and refocused his mind on the present. Fortunately for the struggling halfling and the Aria, within all of the crap, they had a friend who was open to helping them. She was loud, brash, crude and a tad bit dramatic, but most of all she was dependable. Shura Kirigakure had requested their presence rather swiftly, and in a bizarre place too. Suguro had expected her to delay things for a day or so before actually getting together, being late was kind of a trademark for her at this point -Bon was nothing if not organised and expectant. Unbeknownst to the two exorcists, their friend had a house not too far away from True Cross Academy, (which Bon found hilarious considering how often she was late to class) Shura met the two of them at the Cram school for convenience reasons and then took them to their new hideout. Rin was rather reclusive, just saying a greeting before falling silent and Bon didn't want to pry for more information until Shura made it clear that she was willing to talk.

Unfortunately for the half demon, they had to trudge up a rather steep, rocky incline just to get to the porch of the building. It was dusty as all hell and the group was less than pleasant to traverse. Kuro didn't seem to bother with anything, since he was curled around Rin's neck fast asleep. He didn't seem bothered by this and Suguro assumed that was a natural thing for the two of them. Thorns were plentiful in this area (despite the clear lack of grass), as were the weird noises, crunches of leaves and the occasional trip from Rin, who was struggling more than he would admit. Kirigakure had collected his luggage from him -not even asking beforehand- and was walking forward without a word, soldiering on through this disaster of a route. If she was having any difficulties up this hill, she wasn't making it obvious. Bon had his thick bag haphazardly slung over his shoulder and he was walking a bit behind Rin, to his right, so that if the halfling slipped he would be there to stop him from making his injuries worse. Rin didn't say anything, but the guy knew he was thankful. Throughout the continuous track through the brush -again, where the _hell_ was a normal Road?- Bon had tried to speak to the woman about her message earlier but she was adamant that they could only talk properly once inside. Her wording and insistence made him feel watched. (Bon thought that was stupid, but he didn't voice that fact.) The three moved until they finally reached the front door and the older exorcist unlocked it. The sound felt louder than it should have been. Bon noted a few sigils around the banister of the porch and a couple in the ground too. Ryuuji couldn't get a better look because Shura ushered them inside with some form of urgency before locking it behind her. 

He ignored the inside until he had helped Rin onto the couch. Only then did Suguro pay attention to the placement of everything. The couch had been set a bit away from the door -about five or so steps- and Suguro decided here was a good enough place, so he dropped his bag beside the coffee table. He gave the halfling a reassuring look before going up to Shura, who was checking the outside through the blinds, and turning on lights. This was even more creepy to say the least. Kirigakure was always a little over protective, but this seemed to be a different kind of weary. The living room was decorated nicely and to the left was a kitchen area, it had an island counter that faced the living room and just before that was the stove, to the left a fridge and a bunch of other kitchen objects around the other counters. He could see Rin cooking there and having a lot of fun, he could imagine hanging out with all of the exorcists here, but he was sure that this was probably a one time thing and he would never see it again after this. Suguro then noted that the place looked a bit _too_ clean for Shura to be living there. She wasn't a messy person, but organised definitely wasn't a descriptor Bon would use for her. As the woman moved through the house, he followed her. To the right of the living room was a corridor with four doors, the woman gave a half-assed description of the place and then dropped the bomb as to why it was so clean:  
"I don't actually stay here." She gave a nonchalant shrug, glancing around the place. "It's just for when Yukio or the Gorgi piss me off and I couldn't care if they needed me." Bon found that amusing, however it was very plausible. There had been a few times when Yukio had a stick up his ass and Shura couldn't be found. The first door on the left was a single bedroom, next was a bathroom. The door straight at the end of the corridor was a 'study' and the last one on the right was another bedroom with a double bed and a bit more space to move around. The place was the strangest combination of nicely decorated and minimalistic as fuck. He thought that Yukio should take some notes. At least her walls had some kind of wall art that wasn't the most generic shit possible. 

Bon shoved down his Interior Decorator and was about to walk off -back to Rin- when Shura stopped him and pulled him back into the study. The movement was sharp and jerky which left him feeling unsteady. The room was dimly lit even with all of the lights on and smelt a bit mildewy. Bookshelves lined the walls and he wasn't sure if some of them were even real. First of all, why was a study of all places the darkest god-damned room there was and why was Rin not allowed in here? T  
Suguro looked around a bit more, there was a desk lamp that looked rather sad and unused; three or four books were opened across the desk and pages were bent and dog eared around the edges. The sight made his inner organised and very research-hungry demon very upset. Bon knew that he should have seen this coming, yet the sight still bothered him to an unreasonable degree. Ryuuji wanted to question her, but before a word was shared, Shura picked up a piece of chalk -from a desk organiser (that clearly didn't help) and scribbled a sigil on the wall quickly. The second she finished a short huff of air flashed over the room. The younger exorcist had to blink a few times to process the new energy in the room and Suguro recognised it as a room concealment charm, and once observed properly he cateragised it as one meant to deafen the world to inside words. Basically, they couldn't be heard while they were in here. That fact made the Aria tense up slightly, his defenses raised. What was so bad or wrong that she had to charm lock the room just to tell him?

Before Bon could ask anything, she started talking, her words were firm and clear, like it was more of a command than a request.  
"Run me through the symptoms one more time. I need to be sure before I tell you." that didn’t make him feel any better and Suguro wanted to argue that fact, but knew better and kept his mouth shut, clenching his jaw. Instead he centred himself with a swiftly whispered mantra and explained everything over again, giving as much detail and context as possible. The Garden Centre, the injury not healing. Rin’s reaction to Shima and Shiemi bringing him the crutches. This time ‘round he even added the fiasco with Yukio. Shura nodded along with the story and kept glancing down and over at the pages that were open on the desk. When he finished she sighed. That sound didn't reassure Bon in the slightest, his hairs stood on end and electricity tingled along his arms. This was a new form of nervousness that he hadn’t experienced before and her long silence didn’t help.  
"What is it Shura?” he half snapped. “You're startin' ta freak me out." He confessed uncomfortably, crossing his arms over himself in a half-assed comforting gesture. He just wanted answers, not a new life crisis. 

Shura still took what felt like four years to respond and when she did it didn’t make a lick of sense; "How do you feel about Rin?" She said bluntly, as if the answer would be clear-cut and easy. It was anything but- Bon wasn’t sure if he had the mental capacity to even comprehend the complexity of his feelings for the halfling and that shocked even him. Being at a loss for words, let alone an answer was something foregin. He sputtered for a moment then frowned more intensely. Knowledge had always been his one trump card and here he didn't have a foot to stand on.  
"What?" he said dumbly. Shura rolled her eyes at him, like it should be obvious. It sure as shit didn’t feel obvious.  
She took in a breath and said it again, this time adding more, probably for his benefit.  
"How do you _feel_ about him, Suguro?” she lent against the desk and practically bore into his soul. “What is he to you? Hmm. Is he a brother to you? A colleague perhaps? Maybe even something more?" Bon didn't appreciate the tone she was saying that in. Was she trying to imply something? Had Rin told her anything that would cause her to ask? He didn’t know. If he was being one hundred percent honest, with himself that is; Rin wasn't a brother to him nor was he a colleague anymore. Normally you don’t want to kiss your colleagues. So what did that make him? Was he… a love interest? He was confused as to how calm and accepting Shura seemed to be at this instant. He was sure that Yukio would have tried to shoot one or both of them but the woman before him had no malintent in her figure, let alone her tone.  
"Just. Why are you asking?" He almost snapped. It was almost as if she knew that reaction was coming from fear and stress rather than genuine anger. That was a common trait for Suguro. She didn't seem to be offended at his tone. Shura Kirikagure gave him a look that conveyed sorrow but had a hint of playfulness, somehow that look was the scariest thing he had seen in a while. 

"What demon was it that stopped Rin's healing last time?" She asked him, willing him to play along. He wanted to grumble that they weren't in class anymore and that now was not a good time to play games, but he sighed and answered her anyway.  
"He mentioned that someone came by with symptoms mimicking those seen in Succubus and other Sex-type demon attacks." Saying it aloud again seemed to jog his brain into gear and it took him less than a second to piece it together and he nearly choked as the answer slammed him over the head with a meaty club.  
"It's a sex type demonic toxin!” he said instantly, way louder than he probably should have all while mentally slapping himself for not noticing it earlier. It was so obvious! “That's the issue. I was looking for illnesses!" He was mostly talking to himself at this point and he rushed forward to the books, to search for the answer, but Shura stopped him.  
"Not so fast hotshot.” she deadpanned and leaned back against the desk a bit further, all while holding one hand up. “There's more to it than just that.” she added. “Come." She gestured to the door with her head and got up to leave the room. Feeling like he didn’t have much of a choice, Suguro followed behind her as quickly as he could. Stepping out of the room was another adjustment as the energy shifted one more time.

Shura stopped in front of Rin, who seemed dazed. The guy was staring off into nothingness with half-lidded eyes and he was breathing so shallowly it was almost as if he wasn’t breathing at all. That sight brought the temperature of the room down for Bon. He knew that Rin didn’t feel great, but he usually notices when people enter a room immediately. So this was a big tell that things were probably worse than he knew.  
"Rin." The red head started, loud enough to give the demon a jolt as he sat up, his eyes bolted to look at her and poor Kuro also launched out of his skin. He settled rather quickly, but Bon was too focused on Rin and his movements to notice anything else going on around him. Everything about his room, except for Rin and maybe a bit of Shura was a blur to him, nothing seemed as important as Rin right now. His state didn’t improve Ryuuji’s mood either’ his lip was still split, but it seemed a little better than earlier. It wasn’t bright red and raw, but the injury seemed to be slowly sealing itself, the horrible red line of split skin had diminished which was nice to know. Rin’s knee still looked like crap, if had healed any more than the last time he checked, it wasn’t much. That, and something else was off with him, but Bon couldn't pin it. Was it mental, physical, emotional? He wasn’t certain but there was definitely something else wrong.Rin hummed to show that he was listening and looked between the two, trying not to look as freaked out as he felt. Shura glanced over her shoulder at Bon; almost as if she were about to prove a point before asking the halfling in a firm tone:  
"Have you had any trouble breathing lately, like the air is too dusty?" Bon wasn’t sure what that had to do with anything but he didn’t question it. Sure the area was dry and a bit dusty but the building wasn’t a mess. They could open some windows maybe. The half demon’s eyes widened and he nodded slowly, almost frightened. That reaction worried the Aria, but he held his tongue; Shura obviously wasn’t finished, and he didn’t want to interrupt just yet.

"But it’s more than that isn’t it Rin?” she arched a brow and shifted her weight over to the other hip. He felt like he was being interrogated and there wasn’t a way out of it. “THe worst bit would probably be the thoughts.” she added casually, looking him over like a predator. His chest constricted. _How in the everloving name of fuck did she **know?**_  
“Your chest is probably aching right now,” her words were accurate and somehow so filled with conviction. She knew she was right and she was going to prove it. “bits of coughing that you can suppress but are still irritating. Maybe here or there you feel as though a hand or perhaps even your shoulder has turned to _stone_ because it's so stiff or hard to move." At her words, that gargoyle flashed in Rin’s mind. The older exorcist then noticed the final piece of the puzzle as her eyes flashed over the halfling again. She found what she had been looking for. That clarified everything, but she would push on. Kirigakure saw the sigil branded onto Rin's left collarbone, just peeking out from under his shirt. Suguro however was still piecing things together, but the concern on his fellow exorcist’s face only served to deepen the pit in his stomach. As intently as Suguro was staring at Rin, he wasn’t seeing things clearly. Bon was rather upset in his defense. This was serious shit! Why the fuck hadn't he mentioned it? Rin shifted uncomfortably as they both stared at him. Sure he felt horrible but he wasn’t going to just dump that on anyone, he had always assumed that no one cared. Though here, he knew he couldn’t hide anything from Shura and if he did she would retaliate. He didn’t answer though. His entire being and demonur showed it.

"It's agony isn't it?" She finished, making direct eye contact with him. Rin swallowed hard. He knew that Bon would be upset, but he had to be honest. They wouldn’t really know how to fix it unless he was. His demonic familiar, who Bon had practically blocked out until now (which hurt his ego, since he prided himself on being observant and quick) was kneading at Rin's side, seemingly prompting him to answer.  
"Yeah." He almost coughed, after an agonising second. Suguro looked at him sadly and Shura turned back to give a serious face. Bon suddenly found a new resolve and frowned.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" He snapped loudly, causing everyone to jump, even Shura which was surprising. Apparently, no one was expecting that reaction, though they should have. Rin frowned and looked worried, visibly seeping back into the couch like he wanted it to swallow him whole. Bon steeled himself and sighed. He didn't want to scare the guy, let alone upset him. He was more hurt than angry in any case and he was not going to become another source of stress for Rin. After everything Shura had said, and the thoughts racing through his mind, finding the explanation felt like a mammoth task.  
"I'm sorry. I just." Suguro sighed and tried harder to find the words to explain his feelings in this situation. Why didn’t Rin tell him everything? Was he not trustworthy or was Rin holding back for another reason… He looked over Rin, all of his injuries and the sadness in his eyes. Seeing clearly that his typical sparkle was absent, just pained Ryūji to the core. All he could conjure up was how much he wanted to hold him again. Pull him into his arms and press his body close to his own. He wanted to make Rin feel safe and needed. He had noticed enough and placed things together. He knew that Rin had to feel wanted in a situation or else he would spiral. That meant secluding himself and shutting others out. It wasn't always immediately obvious but it did become clear shortly after occurring, but by then he was a bit too far gone and had to collect himself, by himself.  
"Look.” he started, finally settling on an acceptable explanation. “You mean a lot to me and knowing that you're hurting, and there isn't anything I can do to change that.” he grit his teeth and huffed out a breath. “It hurts me a lot okay? I care about you ya Dumbass." He finally blurted out, the words seemingly finding themselves. And obviously, in true Suguro fashion, he had to call him a dumbass. He was intelligent, but that didn’t take away from that fact that his sweet ass, could be dumb. The halfling looked extremely taken aback by that statement and the redhead between them just smirked. Somehow that didn't make Suguro feel any better. Like she knew and understood something they didn’t. 

"I didn't know you cared so much." Rin said, his voice soft, yet filled with emotion. If Ryūji couldn’t hear it, he could see it in his eyes.  
"I didn't either until a day or so ago." He admitted sheepishly, looking away from the man before him. Shura scoffed.  
"We can save whatever this is for later.” she gestured vaguely at the two of them with her hand. “Rin, don't do anything dumb, I need to finish explaining something to Suguro." Before either boy could question this, Bon was being dragged back to the study at the end of the corridor. Shura shut the door roughly behind him and gave him a look.  
"What?" He asked in defence, shifting uncomfortably and folding his arms over himself. She raised a brow and sighed.  
"You didn't notice that brand did you?" She deadpanned. Bon looked back at her with shock and fear. Rin was fucking _branded._ By a demon? That was messed up six ways from Sunday and he had to figure out how to process that fact. He then realized that Shura probably already had the answer and wanted him to figure it out. It took him a bit longer than either of them had expected, but the moment he did. A million possibilities shot through his head.

Rin sat in the living room with his hands in his lap as he stared at the floor. He was getting that strange tiredness again and it wasn’t as welcome as he wanted it to be. Kuro was curled up next to him, but the demonic familiars usual warmth wasn’t present. Rin felt cold and empty and trying to breathe just _hurt._ All he wanted was a good night’s sleep and to see what happens from there but he supposed that at the rate his luck was going, he would either not be able to sleep or those god forsaken fucking images would be back. Rin suffocated that thought before it could clog up anything else. It would probably be dreams this time around. It was around this point, he realised that he had forgotten what it was like to _not_ be in pain and that was a rather sad thought. Aching in general was now the norm and he wasn’t sure what to do with himself. It was late, they should probably get food but Rin knew if he moved to cook, Shura would deem that something dumb and probably rattle off at him.  
_Do you think they know what’s wrong with you yet?_ Kuro asked softly, snuggling into his side, attempting to be comforting. Rin absent-mindely scratched at his friends head and sighed.  
_I really don’t know Kuro. I can’t hear anything, as soon as that door shut it was dead silent._ Rin let that linger in the air for a moment before finishing the statement. _Which means things are either personal or deadly._ the halfling could have sworn he heard Kuro whimper and that sent a wave of pain over him. He schooled his resolve, despite the irony and then spoke again. He would reassure his friend.  
_Don’t worry Kuro, I’m not going anywhere._  
At least Rin believed that until the door swung open with such force the entire house shook on it’s foundations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much! You guys are absolutely phenomenal. How the hell do I have nearly 100 Kudos and almost 1000 Hits? That's insane! Thank you so so much for reading an commenting, I respond to them and you guys have no idea how much it means to me when someone comments. THANK YOU!


	7. Chapter Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is technically part A of what everyone is waiting for! I'm having a lot of fun writing this and everyone commenting and letting me know your thoughts means more than you can ever believe! Thank you!

Every hair on Rin's body was standing to attention as the building stopped shaking. A miniature earthquake called _"Someone's not happy about something."_ had just calmed down. Rin was utterly gripped with fear. Normally this meant either a screaming match or perhaps a fight, neither of which he wanted nor was he in the mood for. This also played on his emotions, making him worry about things. What was wrong? Did something happen? If so, how bad was it? More importantly, what would be the outcome?  
He wasn't in the habit of playing with natural disasters, especially in human form. He had enough trouble playing with fire on the best of occasions. Somewhere further back in the house, he could hear Shura whispering fanatically but he couldn't make out the words, even with his enhanced ears. That was probably due to the sounds of heavy footsteps coming down the corridor loud enough to cause light rattling within the wooden flooring. Rin's nerves didn't settle as the chattering became louder and then suddenly died as it was replaced by heavy breathing. 

Ryūji Suguro's mind was a mess of words, actions, ideas and battle strategies. As soon as the correct demon was pinpointed clearly, his heart shattered but he found a new resolve in his fury. This slimy disgusting demon really pissed him off. Most sex type demons, of which there were only a handful, just made someone incredibly aroused and got them to have someone else relieve them, or have the toxin removed with a special balm. This bastard took its methods to a whole new level of fucked. The _Lapis Caritate._ A demon rarely seen but usually incredibly fatal. Known only to have killed a couple people in the last fifty years, its studies aren't as clear as they could be. But their main purpose has been discovered. These nasty creatures prey on anyone with strong hidden feelings -usually romantic or sexual ones- and force them to reveal them, and if they don't within a certain time span, the person dies by being turned to stone. From the inside out. This sick Medusa wannabe had marked his friend. The little brand on Rin's collarbone was the trademark of the Lapis Caritate and the mere thought of it made Suguro’s blood boil. He wanted to punch walls in anger but he knew that wouldn't solve anything. Something about the fact that he had been literally branded just set him off. As though the precious halfling was just an item to be traded. Rin. The man he cared for beyond anything he could comprehend. That absolute dumbass -that he treasured, despite this. Was turning to stone. **From the inside.** The little fuck's name even directly translated to: _Stone love_ the cheap bastard 

Shura had _finally_ explained everything about the demon once he pieced it and every aspect of this thing made him mad. This walking pain in the ass just screwed with his head. Now Suguro wasn't a person who was quick to anger nor was he always hot headed, he had his moments but he was usually rational about it, but knowing that Rin was suffering -and that was putting it lightly- inadvertently _because_ of him made him so angry and sad and so many other things that it just wasn't a feeling anymore. To make things worse. Or better depending on how you looked at it. He knew he needed to (ahem) _**help**_ Rin and really, he wasn't against it in the slightest, he would have preferred for their relationship to built a bit more before they got really intimate, but he was happy to go along with it nevertheless. Unfortunately he knew that the halfling would have his arguments on the situation. 

Upon hearing everything, he was set on fire and threw the door open in a fury. Shura had to claw Bon back from the door into hallway. He was going to… he didn't know but he was just so full of stuff that he needed to get it out. He wanted to punch a wall, scream, attack a demon or just cry, but he knew none of those would solve the situation. So he recited a short calming mantra and steadied his emotions. He finally settled enough and decided to face Rin, who looked like a frightened child as soon as he rounded the corner. He must have really thrown that door open. The look in his eyes broke Suguro's resolve and he sighed heavily. His chest tightened with pain, fear and a sheer flurry of less than desirable emotions. Rin's pointed ears flicked slightly in concern as he watched Ryūji, his eyes shifting between him and Shura. Bon wanted to talk, he didn't have the words, yet he wanted to speak. Shura cut in though.  
"Listen guys." She started, getting both of their attention. Rin looked slightly more pale than he did when they arrived and Bon didn't have a decipherable expression. The two Aria Miesters knew what had to happen and Shura wasn't going to make it harder on them. "I have to go, something just came up." She gestured behind her to the front door. The way she lied so casually almost frightened Bon. Nothing was going on for her, she just wanted to leave them be.  
"You're welcome to stay here for the next few days until Yukio gets his shit together." She added, then paused. The woman made direct eye contact with Suguro, letting him know that there was more to what she was about to say. **"There's food and all that stuff. Everything you could need is here, so don't worry about it."** There was an edge to her tone that Rin would understand much later in the night. Bon understood perfectly. 

Bon had to fight the blush that wanted to decorate his cheeks in a hot rush. Rin muttered his thanks and Bon thanked her too, willing himself to keep it together for just a while longer. Shura bid them farewell, tossed Suguro the keys and disappeared through the door. Now that they were alone -besides the demonic familiar of course- Suguro thought he should get the ball rolling, just a little. He sat next to Rin on the couch and opened his arms. Kuro stood, stretched obviously and hopped off the couch. Bon didn't pay attention to where he went. The halfling picked up pretty quickly what he was implying and hugged him, holding him tightly. Suguro was still dressed in that ridiculous but comfortable set of grey sweats and he kicked off his shoes. If anyone besides this man saw him like this, he would start a riot. 

Ryūji closed his arms around the halfling and buried his head in the crook of Rin's neck, breathing deeply. The angle wasn't the most comfortable for either of them, but the scent of Suguro around him brought Rin the craziest amount of comfort. All the stress that had built up over the last couple of hours just melted out of his system. Almost instinctively, he snuggled his face into Bon's chest and near his collar bone before he sighed. It was too comfortable to disturb, so they stayed like that for a moment, enveloped in eachothers arms before Rin finally spoke.  
"You were angry." He mumbled softly, sounding childish, it was almost as though mentioning it would make him upset. Suguro held him a little tighter in an attempt to reassure him.  
"Not exactly." He started, filtering his thoughts down to what needed to be said. "I was too focused on the unimportant things." He said, moving his hand to play with Rin's hair, going up at scratching his scalp gently before moving to the nape of his neck and twisting the hair in his fingers. He had an image of the two of them sitting in a bathtub, steam swirling around them while he washed Rin's hair. It was a new thought, but a lovely one. He hadn't considered being vulnerable and comfortable at the same time, and he was curious.  
The halfling relaxed into his arms and breathed a little easier. It was something that made Bon's heart race, and he was sure that Rin could hear it. He decided not to address that and instead tried to explain himself. "I thought that you didn't trust me." This time his voice came out as an almost whisper, since they were so close, literally chest to chest. He didn't need to speak very loudly. Talking while they couldn't see the others face, but knew that they were close was a lot easier for the two of them, explaining but not needing to see. Emotions had never been either of their strong suites. Rin chuckled incredulously, it was breathy and muffled but conveyed his feelings.  
"That's crazy. Of course I trust you." The half demon muttered into his shirt, rubbing his face on it. Bon shook his head, his words were falling from his lips now. "So why didn't you explain things more? I could have. I thought-'' he cut himself off and recentred his thoughts with the whisper of a short mantra. Rin shivered at the sound. Bon smirked internally. So that would be of use later.  
"God I really don't even know what I thought. I just want you to be okay." He finished. Rin clutched onto his shirt a little tighter with balled fists. 

There was a lull in the conversation, the house was silent, but not to a point where it was distressing. They breathed in each other's scents and allowed any tension to leave. The fact that Rin's phone was buzzing incessantly off to his right was utterly disregarded. It was probably Yukio and he didn't matter right now.  
Rin was nuzzling Suguro's torso and the Aria didn't want to ever let go. He hadn't ever considered it before, but somehow, someway, Rin had always been the best thing for him, and the right thing. He fit in his arms effortlessly. They got along like a house on fire when alone, due to social pressures Bon assumed. But they always fit. Yin and Yang, the push and pull of life. Rin was his balance, no matter how unsteady things were.  
"When I said I cared for you earlier." Bon began, still playing with Rin's hair. He wanted to explain things more before they got, well, awkward. "I really meant it." He said. Somehow, just putting it out there made Bon feel lighter, like a weight was gone. Rin was breathing more comfortably now.  
"I care about you too." He whispered, yet wanted to add: _more than you know_ but he held his tongue. He didn't want to lose Ryūji before he even had him.  
"So." Rin continued slowly, dragging things into potentially weird territory.  
"What's wrong with me?" Suguro tensed for a moment before visibly forcing himself to relax. _Here we go._  
"Technically, nothing is wrong with you." He said. Rin's silence made him feel uneasy. He knew that he had to give him more than just that. It was correct but not what he had asked.  
"It's a sex type demon." He explained, keeping his voice level to avoid making things worse. "But I'm sure you picked that up." It was the halflings turn to visibly tense, he was internally cringing and suffering, but he still nodded stiffly, he wasn't sure what to say, he hadn't really ever discussed sex with anyone, not that he had someone to discuss it with in the first place but doing so with the person, even briefly who was the star of a lot of thoughts just twisted his stomach. Bon could tell that Rin was going to shift this into being something he caused, so he stepped in. "It's not your fault Rin," the man reassured him, stroking his hair. "please don't act like you did something wrong, you didn't." He soothed, whispering into his ear. He shifted uncomfortably in his arms, not pulling away but still adjusting himself.  
"I still feel like I did." He admitted softly, his voice heavy with emotion. God Suguro wanted to punch Yukio. He really wanted to deck the fuck that made Rin feel like a walking disaster. He wasn't and he never would be. Suguro mentally calmed himself.  
"Well you didn't." He said firmly. "You didn't ask the demon to latch onto and I'm pretty sure if the texts and tomes are accurate, there's been more than physical pain the last few days."  
Rin swallowed uncomfortably. He really just wanted to disappear. He would love it if Suguro liked him back, but this entire predicament felt like a trap, Suguro was a sweet treat, but what would follow if he went in?

Rin finally asked the question head on. No more dancing around and being awkward, he needed to know. "So which demon is it?" His voice this time was expressionless, which only made the Aria uneasy. Bon sighed, steeled his resolve, prepared for anything and explained the basics of the Lapis Caritate. It made sense as to everything that's happening, at least to Rin it did. Bon's voice quivered when he spoke about the stone part. He had to clear his throat to avoid getting overly emotional. God why was this so fucking hard? He could only imagine how excruciating it must be to have your insides literally turn to stone, but for it to happen again and _again_ consistently, only lightly healing before it happened once more. That was worse than hell. "The only reason you're still alive... Is because you aren't human." He said. Rin tensed as soon as the words left his lips. He knew that Bon didn't like his demon half, that his goal in life was to defeat Satan. But for him to say that? He shook his head in disbelief and tried to push himself off of Bon’s chest in upset but Suguro corrected himself. "You're misunderstanding me Rin." He said as he inhaled sharply. "The fact that you're half demon, _**is**_ the reason why you're still here." He went softer as he added. "With me,"  
Rin wasn't sure how to react to that, not in the slightest. Being in his arms made breathing easier for some reason, he was still sore but in Suguro's presence with his hands on him, he felt at peace, like it was just a dull ache in the background. His insides didn’t feel like he had swallowed lava, his knee he could ignore and his lip didn’t feel bad at all. Why was it him?

They held each other for a while longer. Rin didn't want to ruin the moment and Bon didn't want to upset Rin. So when he finally asked how they got rid of the demonic toxin, Suguro had to really muster up the courage to explain things, and that meant everything. He wasn't against the idea, he was actually interested but it wasn't the nicest situation to be placed in by any means.  
"Look, Rin. The toxin runs on intimacy.” he started. “Anything that can be counted as an activity shared with another person, a bond between two people that is warm or somehow beneficial counts, which is why you haven't gotten worse, but slowly improved..." Rin ground his teeth briefly, trying to keep himself brave in the face of something that could be horrible.  
"I feel like there's a ‘but’ coming up." he admitted quietly. Bon huffed out a quick breath. "Yeah…" he collected himself. "But, the reason is because I'm clearly the one that the demon targeted." Rin wanted to stutter a poorly constructed argument but couldn't, what could he say?.  
"The Lapis Caritate feeds on people who have buried emotions that are incredibly strong. The demon hopes that whoever is affected, is either far too afraid or otherwise cannot fully overcome its curse.” repeating what he knew outloud made him despise this creature more and more. “It feeds on emotional torment -of any kind- and rejection, and I'm pretty sure with everything going on with Yukio, there was enough of that for the demon to be really interested in you." Rin started to choke up, he knew things weren’t the best with his younger sibling, they had never been perfect but they were stable until a couple of months ago. He couldn’t say or do much without his brother saying something and every mission was carefully planned or had someone along for ‘control’ purposes. He had no idea how or why so many emotions just perked up in his chest, but before he could stop himself, tears were falling from his eyes and he was sniffling like a kid. Either Shura told him, or Suguro saw them some other way, but he knew things were off with him and his brother, him knowing that, and hinting at what he thought he was poking at, just set him off more. Suguro didn't show any adverse reaction to this. In fact, he just held Rin tighter.  
"I know things have been hard and it's not nice to know that others know things you would prefer to keep hidden.” Yep, his crush knew everything. “But that environment isn't good for you Rin, and I, well I just want the best for you." His words only served to make Rin cry a little harder. He felt pathetic crying the way he was, with small heaving breaths and sobs, but everything was too much. The fact that Suguro was calm despite his heart rate being through the roof was just another thing to process.  
Bon had to get this out there now, even if it wasn’t the best time, because really it was now or never and he didn’t want to make this worse for him later.  
"I know this isn't going to help much, but the only way to fully break the curse or toxin, is to be fully intimate with whomever it is that you hold such intense emotions for. One out of every thirty cases wants to stab the person, but here it’s something else. These demented fucks are basically deadly and very crappy versions of cupid.” he sighed briefly, Rin’s tears still wetting his sweatshirt. “At least cupid doesn't kill you." He added. Rin clutched onto him, the world was spinning around him despite the fact that his eyes were screwed shut and his face was buried in Suguro's torso, he was afraid to let go of him, in case he fell into the abyss and couldn’t get back out. His heart somehow sounded like it was in his throat and he couldn't bring himself to verbalise anything. He knew what was just said to him. He knew the implications. Ryūji had just politely told him that they need to fuck, or Rin will die a very slow and agonising death. 

"I'm sorry." He finally managed to choke out, nearly heaving with emotion. Suguro pulled him into his lap so that his legs were straight out along the couch but his upper body was on his lap with his arms wrapped around him. "Don't apologize Rin." He tried to be soothing but truthfully he wanted to cry too. Suguro had such a pit in his stomach, which only got deeper the more they spoke. Why was Rin so ashamed of his feelings? And why did Suguro not notice his own feelings until things got this bad? They could have been happy… they still can be.  
"Rin," he started tentatively, holding him close. The halfling mumbled something that sounded like 'yeah' so he continued.  
"I didn't know it before, but these last few days have brought it to light." He said. God he wasn't sure how to address the fact that he had always had some weird admiration of the guy, even when they were supposedly rivals. Something about him was always so captivating, he loved hearing Rin talk about his Manga or his love of cooking, anything really. Everything about the halfling that was so uniquely him.  
"I uh. I kinda feel the same." He said, sounding rather awkward. Rin shook his head, he couldn’t accept this. "I know that I'm probably going to die. But I'd rather die than make you do anything you don't want to. Even if my life's at stake." He said, his voice full of pain. Suguro was caught between loving this man to prevent his death, or beating him to death with his love (because he was so irritated that Rin wouldn’t accept the fact that he cared). He needed Rin to know how much he really cared for him and he wasn't sure if Rin would even believe him. It was probably the most infuriating situation he had found himself in in a long time.  
"Okay, listen to me closely ya dumbass. I care about you more than a friend and I actually would like to be more than that.” he said firmly, willing the halfling to listen and understand. “Now this isn't me trying to save your life or me trying to be the hero, and neither is for the good of it all." He grit his teeth and sighed, shaking his head to himself. "I'm being selfish because I don't want to be in a world without you." Rin was quiet and that didn't make Suguro feel any better. 

After a moment he prodded. "Rin, please talk to me." He asked softly, holding him close.  
"I never thought anyone would like me back." His tone was splintered and flecked with pain. "Well you were wrong so accept that." He stated blandly, he tried to sound playful and thankfully it worked because Rin chuckled, it was hoarse and low in his throat.  
"I accept it." He mumbled. Suguro made a bold move for someone who had just confessed his feelings to his fuck or die friend. He kissed Rin's head.  
"So Rin, would you do me the honor of letting me -rather selfishly- save your life." Rin pulled away to give him a full toothed, mischievous grin. His lip was fully healed now, though a very thin and faint scar remained. "Yeah, but don't let that go to your head."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and commenting and leaving kudos you make me so happy! Thank you! Also, thoughts on their situation? Another thing, please let me know of any mistakes I need to fix! Much love!


	8. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chapter you guy's have all been waiting for! I'm so sorry it took so long, I had a lot of self doubt and needed to work through that, but I'm happy with how it has turned out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy it!

"Yeah, but don't let that go to your head." 

Bon raised one brow and smirked, thinking of all the things he could possibly say, all the ways he could tease him, yet he settled on: "Well, I won't make any promises." He said mischievously, giving him a wink. Rin bit his lip and smiled. His face was then wiped clean as an idea struck him. Or at least that's what Bon hoped had happened.   
"Wait." He paused, nibbling his lip again, almost to check. "My lip healed just now." He said, astounded - _as though this kind of thing hadn't happened a million times before._  
"So that means." Bon looked at him with interest, smiling to himself. With the look he had on his face, he was curious. Who wouldn't be? What little ideas were swirling in that head of his? What could he possibly be thinking or planning?   
"If we kissed right now." He started, feigning disinterest. "Would my knee heal, completely?" He questioned, an edge to his voice -one that mixed curiosity and desire in a blender with a shitload of confetti. (Very gay confetti with a lot of sexual tension)  
Suguro subconsciously licked his lips and looked the halfling up and down, a couple of his own ideas forming.   
"Well," Bon said, adjusting himself on the couch, studying Rin's expression. "there's only one way to find out."   
They stared at one another for a moment longer, processing the implications, they disregarded it all before they both leant in, Rin pausing to let Suguro close the gap. The gesture was small but it was appreciated.  
Ryūji did and their lips met in a soft, sweet kiss, but a quick one. They were testing the waters. They pulled away only very briefly to smile before going back in.   
This time the kiss was longer, and Bon was in love with how soft Rin's lips were. Despite the clear experimental nature of their kiss, it still somehow felt practiced. Suguro didn't expect it but he loved each and every aspect of this moment. He _loved_ the way Rin's breathing changed and his body shifted to move with the motions of the kiss, how they fit together perfectly and found a rhythm almost instantly.   
"I've never kissed anyone before." Rin admitted, somewhat sheepishly, placing his forehead on Bon's. The two of them shared delighted breaths for a moment.   
"Well I doubt that, you're incredible at this." Suguro muttered. Rin chuckled and went in for another kiss. Ryūji caught his lips and this time he moved his hands to the halflings waist, resting them on his sides, and while the angle was still shitty, if this worked, Rin could probably straddle his lap which would _certainly_ make things interesting. In fact, Suguro was now invested in that happening and if Rin was comfortable with it, doing everything else that came with that.

Rin moved his hands up, wrapping one arm around his neck and placing the other one gently against Suguro's chest. Things were really all touch and go here, so he was pleased when the Aria responded positively by groaning slightly -low in his throat, which was impeccable- and putting a bit more pressure behind the kiss. He ventured to lick the bottom of Rin's lip and he opened his mouth without issue.   
For what felt like the first time, God was on his side. Things were going right.  
Suguro's tongue ran over the fangs in his mouth before pulling back. He hadn't really considered the fangs, but now, they were an interesting concept.   
"I've never thought about kissing someone so much and it has never been so good." Their breaths were almost jackhammers by now. Rin just grinned, showing off the fangs that he had just licked.   
"You are literally a painkiller." Rin said. Suguro had to laugh at that comment, mostly because he was right. In this moment, he was. His gaze shifted towards where Rin's legs were.   
"How does your knee feel?"   
He tried to move but immediately flinched. He sighed.  
"Less sore than before but still not good." Ryūji nodded, a plan coming to him instantly.  
"Okay, attempt two, can I remove your shirt and kiss your neck?" He asked so smoothly and casually. Rin just nodded eagerly, not even a sliver of hesitation present.  
"Please do both of those things immediately." He said huskily. Bon grinned at his words and moved to grab the hem of his shirt. Rin raised both arms to help him remove the article of clothing, he then tossed it aside and before he could register it properly, Ryūji's lips were on his neck. Essentially two things happened at that moment. The first being that Rin shivered and a soft moan slipped from his mouth and the second was that his brain short circuited. If you listened closely you could probably hear the small crackle and pop of the wires overloading. He kissed at his neck a few more times before latching on and sucking a hickey to the left side of his neck. Rin had to admit that it was a smidge ticklish but the sensation was something absolutely stunning, like live fireworks running down his arms and up his spine. Bon liked, _and he meant really liked,_ hearing the sounds that Rin let out, and he really appreciated the way he squirmed in his lap too. 

For science of course, Bon decided to try grazing his teeth along Rin's neck -which was probably the best fucking idea he had had in months. As soon as he did this, Rin moaned, much louder than before and his tail even flicked behind him, the light of his blue flames illuminating the sweat that was glistening around his shoulders. Bon couldn't help but growl and go in for another bite.   
"God you are _vocal_." He said appreciatively, running his fingers down his back and up to his hair. Before Rin could say something, Bon added in: "And don't you _dare_ apologize, I love it." Rin just nodded and stopped trying to suppress the noises as much.   
"Remember we're in the middle of nowhere. Be as loud as you want." He said, almost daring him to be louder.  
Each sound that came from him seemed to give Suguro new life, for he sucked another hickey right on top of his left collar bone. There was a higher pitched sound before he spoke.  
"Why there specifically?" Rin asked, his voice lighter than he had ever heard it.   
"That fucking demon branded you and I'm giving it a silent _'fuck you'_ by marking over it." The halfling groaned, something about hearing Suguro say “Marking” like he was taking Rin back; that was beyond hot -and he was pretty sure the Aria had pieced that together. Bon continued his ministrations for a bit longer until Rin took the hem of his sweatshirt into his hands and whined.   
“Can this go?” he asked softly. Suguro let out a breathy chuckle and sat forward a bit to help Rin pull the article of clothing off. He just tossed it carelessly and ran his hands down his chest. The feel of his warm fingers against his skin shot lighting through his body. Something about the way Rin touched him and looked at him set his heart alight, as though he was the most amazing, and definitely most important thing in the world. Had he always given him such attention? Bon wasn't sure, but he was definitely going to keep it up, specifically by paying the same amount to the man in front of him. Rin made a noise low in the back of his throat as his fingers crossed his chest and down his abs, the skin contact was phenomenal. Rin’s breathing was sporadic at best and the sounds he made were delectable. Every inch of his being was -metaphorically- on fire, every sound that Rin released just gave him more life. Suguro was enjoying this far more than he thought he ever would (not in a bad way, he was expecting it to be good but not this fucking good.) Each trailing touch down his torso lit his skin on fire. He captured Rins lips again in a heated kiss. 

They made out heavily, like proper shitty romance TV made out and after a bit of time, the halfling pulled back with heavy panting breaths, he was looking Suguro up and down, like he was a snack (which he enjoyed thoroughly) but there was an unspoken question on his lips. He'd known him long enough and watched his reactions to things to know when there was something amis.  
"What's on your mind Rin?" He asked, reaching his hand up to brush some of his raven hair away from his eyes. He liked seeing his face. Rin flushed and looked away, nibbling at his lip. That seemed to be a habit of his, or perhaps even a nervous tick, he wasn't certain yet.  
"I wanna give you a hickey too…" he said, though his tone conveyed something more. He trailed off. Bon readjusted himself on the couch and gently ran his fingers up and down Rin's arms, trying to be comforting.  
"So why don't you?" He raised a brow and watched Rin's expression as it shifted from questioning to concern. (He actually really wanted Rin to do that, but he wanted to know the reason behind his hesitation first.)  
He opened his mouth a little so that his fangs were visible, the way he did this made it seem like he was ashamed of them.   
Bon mentally booked Yukio in for a knuckle sandwich a good 24-48 hours from now.  
"I don't want to hurt you." He said softly, his brows curling up with emotion. Oh this precious boy. Bon wished that Rin would believe him when he told him how amazing he is.  
"You won't." Bon assured him simply, banishing Yukio from his thoughts and gripping his arms to show how serious he was. Rin wouldn't meet his eyes, he really was ashamed of his demonic appearance. "But what if I do." He insisted. Ryūji knew he wouldn't get upset with Rin this quickly, he was just a bit irritated that he chose his own insecurity over his given certainty. Suguro rolled his eyes, comforted his irritation and pulled Rin to his chest.   
"Like I said, you won't," he promised. "and if you come close I'll tell you." He explained, willing Rin to believe him. The half demon was silent for a moment before sitting up, away from his chest, studying him.  
"Promise?" He raised his brows in earnest. Bon couldn't help but smile at him.  
"Yeah Rin, I promise." He said fervently. The Knight-Exorcist pouted a little and asked:  
"Seal it with a kiss?" his brows were still raised sweetly. Ryūji chuckled at his cute request as he met his crystal eyes. He lent in and gave him a sweet, promising kiss.

Having settled that, Bon purposely lent back, and tilted his head to the side, almost daring Rin to bite him. (Unbeknownst to the other, they both _loved_ the idea of doing that.) Rin licked his lips appreciatively and shifted to lift his leg. Only this time he didn't flinch. They locked eyes and the halfling had to grin cheekily. He moved to straddle Suguro's hips purposely, nestling his knees on either side of him, sitting in his lap.   
"I see that your knee is healed." He commented, smirking as he looked Rin up and down. This was part one of his goal and he was elated. The halfling had to mentally remind himself that Suguro did in fact like him, and him sitting shirtless in his lap, breathing heavily was something they both wanted- no, _craved._ Bon took a firm hold of his hips and intentionally rolled his own upward, grinding into him. The sensation was foreign but welcome as anything, the friction against his growing length was magnificent and the bulge developing in Suguro's pants was definitely something to look forward to. Rin lent in and placed his left hand on his shoulder with his right clasped just behind his head, going to kiss at his neck. Suguro visibly shivered and squeezed Rin's hips as a sign to keep going. Rin smiled to himself, almost prideful and mouthed wet kisses along his throat and down his collarbone. He dragged the sentisation out by gently scratching his arm as he went. The Aria was letting out breathy moans and gasps and finally groaned loudly when Rin started sucking a hickey near the base of his neck. 

"This is surprisingly fun." Rin admitted, nuzzling into his neck. He made a short purring sound in the back of his throat that Suguro found absolutely adorable. “And you smell really nice too.” he added, breathing in deeply. Suguro just chuckled, his heart warming. He had never really considered having someone nuzzle into him, and it was the most endearing thing he had ever experienced. The action sort of cemented how much Rin cared for him. "Haven't heard that one before but thank you." he said, moving to accommodate his movements. Rin snuggled against him a little more and Bon couldn't stop himself from smiling like an idiot. This man was so precious and he cursed the fact that it took a demon attack to bring them together.  
"Hey Rin," he asked softly. He hummed in acknowledgement, burying his face in his neck. "I'm kinda curious." He had to stop himself from chuckling at his own ideas, the curiosity is as exciting as the thought itself. "What would your fangs feel like?" Rin pulled back and surveyed him. His face flashed with curiosity and fear. He figured that the same thoughts that he had, but with a lot more hesitation and overthinking.   
"What, really?” he asked, searching Bon’s eyes for any sign of hesitation or deception. He cracked a smile and nodded.  
“Really. At this point in my life, I’m beyond caring what people think -besides you o’ course- And I’m going to ask if there’s something I want.” Rin continued to watch him, which caused him to feel obligated to keep talking. “Look Rin, I want to do this with you, more than I can explain, and if we are going to do this, I want it to be a proper experience, which means communication and consent.” Rin was nibbling at his bottom lip nervously. Bon worried for a moment that Rin would suddenly change his mind and choose death over him -which would be a whole other massive thing to process that he didn’t even want to dwell on.   
Suddenly, Rin cracked the widest grin he had seen from him in a long time.   
“How the fuck are you even more amazing than I imagined.” Suguro’s brain had to do a backflip to jump back to what Rin had just said. He smirked a little as the phrase settled in his mind. “Oh yeah? What exactly _did_ you imagine?” Rin’s normally pale and warm body became bright red and even hotter at his words. The flush was so instant that Bon nearly laughed at the reaction. “Judging by the look on your face, I'm gonna guess that the toxin gave you some pretty vivid images." He managed a nod. Everything up until this moment got shoved into a logic box and something overcame his awkward demeanor, he chuckled.   
"They were insanely vivid." He confessed fervently. Rin was laughing at his own awkward and insecure mannerisms, why was he so jumpy. With the things they had planned for later, shame was a wasted emotion. This spectacular human being before him (and under him) had just plainly stated that he _wanted_ him. Why the hell was he flustered? He scoffed softly.  
"That motherfucker is potent."   
Bon smiled at him and ran his hands up Rin's arms in a comforting manner, trying to keep the mood but also make sure Rin was alright with everything. "Really? How so?" He asked. Rin gave him this incredulous look, as though he couldn't believe the stuff he was about to relay to him.  
"Well for starters, the thing messes with your head, you can't focus on anything except the person you care for." Suguro nodded along to let Rin know he was listening. Wondering what it would have felt like for Rin. "If I didn't already control the blue flames I would have been terrified that I'd explode." He explained, getting more into talking about it. It seemed cathartic for him.  
"Every single cell in my body screamed that I should act on the things in my head." He sounded more frustrated now. Suguro could imagine, the sound of it was irritating but not being able to focus on anything would have been impossible. Bon gave him a sympathetic look and brought his hand up to cup his cheek.   
"I mean, considering the research and what you've said before. That must have been hell." Rin just shrugged and looked away. "With the demonic impulses, self control can get a bit wobbly right?" The halfling nodded his confirmation of the statement.   
"And yet, you kept your cool." He continued, trying to pour how proud he felt into his tone. He nodded again. Bon smirked, seeing where this was taking them.   
"You care for me so much, to a point where you straight up fought your own instincts and impulses to avoid hurting or upsetting me." This time Rin didn't comment, he just tensed his jaw. Suguro knew that he hadn't thought of it that way.  
"You are fucking amazing." He lent in a bit and caressed his cheek. "You know that right?" Ryūji told him, clearly and sincerely.   
A small smile crept its way into his face.   
"Not really, but I'm sure you're going to remind me." Rin said playfully. The Aria smirked.   
"Oh you know I will." At that Rin mimicked his expression and leant in, mouthing kisses down the column of his throat. He then gently grazed his fangs against his skin and the sound that came from the man under him was utterly heavenly. It was a mix between a moan and a gasp and Rin did the motion again, drinking down the noises. 

Rin suddenly stopped and Bon was confused. "What is it?" Rin huffed against his neck, the air sent shivers down his spine. "I-." He cut himself off. Clenching his teeth loudly. "You?" Bon pressed, kneading the skin around his hips softly.   
"I wanna bite you." He said, his voice barely a whisper. The suggestion made Bon's stomach flip with excitement, if him grazing his teeth over his neck felt _that_ good, what would him actually biting him be like? Before he could coherently structure a sentence, his dick spoke for him and the words fell from his lips.   
"I want you to bite me too." Rin's breath hitched for a moment.   
He flexed his jaw, clearly struggling with his demonic side as flickers of blue flame sparked around his head and down his back. They just barely touched Suguro, and they weren't even uncomfortable.  
Suguro pulled him close to his chest.   
"You're in control Rin, you're doing amazing, you are amazing." He said, stroking his hair. His breathing shifted, and though it was heavy, it was calmer. His tail was still on fire, but Rin had never burnt him before and he wasn't worried about it happening now.   
"You can do it, there we go." He calmed him. Rin breathed in his neck for a bit longer.   
"I'm okay now." He whispered.   
"I told you you wouldn't hurt me."  
Rin pulled back to watch him briefly.   
"Yeah I know." He tried for a soft smile and Suguro returned it.   
"So, about those fangs of yours?" He asked playfully. Rin chuckled and nodded, leaning in. He kissed the base of his neck, where his shoulder and neck met. Suguro hummed in contentment. Finally Rin sank his teeth into him and the feeling was even more amazing than he could have anticipated, the sound that came from his mouth was one he didn't recognise, but holy shit did Rin's teeth feel fucking fantastic in him. He lifted his mouth slightly and pulled back.   
"I didn't hurt you did I?" He asked. Suguro shook his head.   
"No, not at all, that felt fucking amazing." Rin smiled, for once in his life, his demonic attributes had caused something good. "It was also incredibly hot." Rin flushed slightly.   
"It didn't even go that deep." He said, surveying the bite. Sure there were four to six distinct marks in his flesh, but they weren't bleeding, they were just red and swelling slightly.   
"Well whatever the fuck they did, it was magnificent." Rin chuckled and Ryūji smiled, looking him over and going to kiss him.

Things heated up fairly quickly after that and they were making out heavily, panting heavy warm breaths and running their hands all over each other's bodies. Rin suddenly pulled back as though an idea had just smacked the horny out of him.  
"Should we really do this in Shura's hideout?" He was breathless as he asked the question, his tone hushed even though they were completely alone. Bon just had to chuckle, he wasn't aware right now of the fact that they had, quite literally, been brought here for this exact reason.  
"Rin, she knew what kind of demon it was before I figured it out." He said simply, keeping it light. "Practically she brought us here _to do_ this.” Rin’s face flushed red again, probably at the thought that Shura knew this was happening but he managed to pull himself together. Knowing her, she wouldn't give a shit. This was just a way of saving his life while possibly starting a new relationship. He shrugged and got over himself.  
“Hopefully this stays between the three of us then.” he says with a shrug, his voice light. Bon smiles.   
“So anyway, do you want to take this to the bedroom?” he asked, excited yet also nervous for what was to come. Rin bit his bottom lip and nodded eagerly.   
Effortlessly, Suguro got to his feet and lifted Rin up with him. Almost instinctively Rin wrapped his legs around Bon's waist and his arms around his neck, he gave him a toothy grin and the two of them made their way blindly through the house. Bon made sure to go for the double bed as he wanted more space to have fun with Rin. A million little ideas of how he could elicit the most delicious sounds from him swirled as he hit the door frame. He instantly lifted Rin with one arm and opened the door with the other. 

He could feel Rin’s dick growing against his abdomen and something told him that he enjoyed this. He smiled to himself.  
“You quite enjoy being manhandled don’t you?” he asked, squeezing him slightly as he shut the door behind them, entering the room fully. Rin nodded and he smiled a bit more before dropping him back onto the bed and crawling up. Rin licked his lips and watched as he moved.   
“Especially by you." He admitted. "God I love your hands on me.” he said in a breathless whisper. Bon entrapped Rin between his arms and started kissing across his neck and collarbones. “God you love teasing me.” he added snippily, giving him a look. Suguro just chuckled at that.   
“Of course I do, I like hearing the sounds you make, and I like it even more when I know that I’m the one causing them.” He punctuated the sentence by sucking on his neck and nibbling down his collarbone. Rin couldn't help but groan.   
“Well you are good at that,” he admitted. Bon chuckled and Rin wrapped his arms around his neck again, moving to capture his lips in a kiss.   
“You are perfect.” Suguro said in between kisses. Rin flushed and gently squeezed him, nuzzling into his neck. He had come to realise, Ryūji Suguro was his safe place. Buried in his neck, with his arms wrapped around him. The Grigori couldn't touch him.

“So, where are we going to start?” Rin asked softly, going to graze his teeth along Bon’s neck. He kissed over the bite mark from earlier and kept going. The way Suguro suddenly got goosebumps, ones that rose to the surface swiftly and prominently made him almost giddy. _He_ was doing this, it was him making this happen and collecting those heavenly sounds. He grinned internally and kept going.  
“Preferably naked.” Bon whispered and Rin had to pause his ministrations to laugh.   
“Okay.” he stopped teasing his neck and Bon sat back on his ankles while Rin pushed himself up slightly. They exchanged glances before Suguro started undoing the bow at the front of Rin’s shorts and the halfling moved to help him pull them off. They caught briefly around his ankles but he kicked them off. Bon tossed them aside and made a point of kissing Rin's chest all the way down to his V line before hooking his fingers under the elastic of the boxers, meeting Rin's eyes for permission. Once granted he was dragging them down. The halfling gasped softly and Suguro was pleased to finally get a glance at what he was working with, and by the sight of it. This was going to be a fun time. Rin's cock was just as well built as the rest of him, complete with a nice girth and near perfect length.  
He moved to wrap his hand around the base of his dick and gently stroked upwards. Rin groaned and shivered. Even though neither of them had really done much, this felt right and natural, almost as though it was meant to happen.   
“That feels amazing.” he said, barely audible, but Suguro heard it and it was beautiful. He kept that same pace going as he lent over Rin to reach into the bedside table. As hinted at earlier, there was everything they could hope for, though it seemed that Shura may have been a little over dramatic considering the three separate bottles of lube and six different types of condoms. Did she want to save Rin in a really special way or did she plan this for other reasons? Or. Did she just, have it? He decided that now wasn't the time to get involved in what Shura may or maynot do in her free time and reminded himself of the fact that he literally had Rin in the palm of his hand, so he just grabbed the first bottle he could find. 

Mostly without thinking, he tore the clear plastic wrapping off the top with his teeth and spat it aside while Rin was writhing under him, making absolutely beautiful sounds. His ministrations slowed but Rin's moans didn't.  
“How are you so good at this?” he nearly whimpered. Bon made a point of slowing down to pour some lube over his member before returning to the task at hand, this time a little faster.   
Rather cheekily, he answered: “Practice.”   
Rin was too busy moaning and squirming to acknowledge the joke, he didn't mind though. Suguro was watching his every movement and breath, studying the way he shifted and rolled his hips up into his hand. It was firm yet soft in his grasp and he finally decided to take the plunge. The one thing sitting in the back of his mind. He lowered over Rin’s cock and took him into his mouth, hollowing his cheeks as he went. That brought a whole new wave of sounds from Rin, as well as a hand burying itself in his hair. He sucked as he pulled back and the fist tightened pulling his hair. If he was being honest with himself, that was _pretty fucking hot._ Rin was breathing rapidly as a string of curse words fell from his lips.  
“Holy shit.” he heaved. Suguro popped off for a second to speak.  
“Keep pulling my hair,” Him saying that seemed to ground Rin in reality. At this point, Bon had already practically swallowed him, so there was no point in feeling awkward. He smiled.   
“Is that something you enjoy?” he asked, trying to steady his breathing as waves of pleasure rocked his body. Suguro nodded and lowered again, repeating his actions. He used his right hand to support himself, his left to massage Rin's balls all while he licked the underside of his dick. Every little movement, lick and gesture captured a new sound from the halfling and Suguro was storing all of those in the back of his mind, enjoying them endlessly, and Rin tugging on his hair made the entire experience just that little bit more fantastic. 

It didn’t take long for Rin to start shaking, he started to warn Suguro of his incoming climax, only to be met with faster strokes and him sucking a little harder. He came with a loud moan and a tug of his hair, his other hand fisitng the covers of the bed. Ryūji happily swallowed the tangy substance and he pulled back when Rin had finished, but he kept stroking him, riding him through the high. He had done enough research before to know what he was doing -he was happy to be prepared and here it was even better. Rin was panting like nobody's business and his eyes were closed, an expression of bliss and clear relief on his face.   
"Holy fuck." He finally managed to gasp out. "That was absolutely amazing. How do I do that to you?" His instant response made Suguro chuckle, smiling endearingly at the man before him.   
So what if he was a bit off when it came to some things but he sure as hell gave it his all. And Bon didn't have an issue with that in the slightest. At this point, with all of the hair pulling and moaning and squirming, he was about ready to explode in his pants. "You don't have to do the same thing if you don't want to." He explained simply, going to bury his face in the crook of Rins neck, he hummed happily. Something about nuzzling made them both really comfortable.   
The halfling was still trying to gather his breathing. Rin smiled.   
"Oh believe me, I want to." He said enthusiastically, gently applying pressure to his chest so that he would move. Suguro got the message and pulled back. 

Rin immediately got to work, without a word, he flipped Suguro and himself so that the Aria was on his back, where Rin previously was and the half demon was hovering over him. The sheer effortlessness the motion took was impressive despite him knowing that Rin was capable of it. Apparently he also enjoyed being manhandled a bit. The fact that he had demonic strength was also pretty hot. The things they could explore with that.  
Suguro's sweatpants felt a lot tighter with him in this position, as though they had suddenly become four sizes too small for him. He wanted them off immediately. It was so painfully real and God was he ready for Rins hands to decorate his flesh. Rin reached for his waist but suddenly stopped himself. A flash of concern slid across his face as a thousand things flipped over. Most of them things that could go wrong.   
Why didn't he ever think of what could go right? Essentially reading his mind, Suguro responded.   
"You won't hurt me Rin, I'm not made of glass and I can speak." He said, firmly enough so that he would hear it clearly. He touched his shoulder and brushed some hair out of his face to see his eyes clearly.   
“This is something we both want, _seriously._ If something doesn't feel good, please just trust me to tell you." Apparently, those were the magic words because Rin nodded and instantly went back to his pants, drawing them away from his hips, making a point of taking the boxers with them in one motion. The guy wasn't wasting anymore time doing anything except sucking him off. (Which Bon was sure would be amazing, just like the man before him.) The Aria helped him by lifting his hips and adjusting his legs to remove the items of clothing faster. The moment the cold air hit his flesh he hissed quietly, it was fairly chilly at the moment but Rin was so warm and the cool nature of the day made the whole experience just that little bit better. It added to the amalgamation of sensations surrounding him at that moment. Goosebumps flushed over his skin with shivers of pleasure as Rin ran his hands along his waist, over his suddenly sensitive hip bones and down his thighs. Everywhere his fingers touched were set on fire and he loved every second. So much so that he nearly forgot how to breathe.   
Rin's lips suddenly latched onto his neck and his hips lurched up involuntarily, reacting to the sensation. Rin smirked and brought up one of his hands to the side of his face, tentatively caressing the shell of his ear. "You know," he said softly, pulling away from his neck to admire him.   
"I’ve always found your earrings so fucking attractive." he nearly growled, biting his lip appreciatively. Bon scoffed softly, smiling at Rin in all his adorable yet utterly steaming glory.   
"The way you always stared at my ears, I figured you liked something about 'em." he said playfully. Rin chuckled and started gently twisting and playing with the piercings along Ryūji's ear. He felt a shiver run through him. How the fuck was everything suddenly so sensitive? He wasn't certain, but he knew that he wanted Rin to do something, well, anything and everything he wanted. Considering how careful Rin was when the Toxin was at its peak, he knew that anything he did do would feel fantastic.  
"I'll get back to those." He muttered quietly, seemingly reading his mind and moving lower. He kissed at his neck, down his torso, getting closer to where he wanted him.   
"I'll be careful." He added.   
Suguro had to pull his mind out of the clouds to respond, _apparently,_ this would be a recurring problem, so he would keep reassuring him until he didn’t bring it up again.   
"Rin, whatever you have planned, I'm looking forward to.” he emphasized that last part of the sentence heavily. “I trust you, and I’ll let you know if something ain't right." He met his eyes, nodded, gave a quick smile and finally took Suguro into his mouth, lowering over it at a painfully slow speed. If Suguro had any kind of train of thought, that motherfucker was gone with the wind. His breath huffed out of his chest like a hammer falling down the stairs as he focused on the feeling. Honestly, he never knew that he could make half the noises he did. Rin however was practically in his element right now. His hesitative energy had almost completely disappeared by now. They trusted each other more than the other could even fathom. The halfling moved to sit between his legs on his ankles, gently using his hands to widen his hips to get a better angle. Suguro instantly, and somewhat salaciously complied with this, sighing happily. Rin, this adorable, occasionally naive yet _incredibly_ loving person, despite apparently having no previous experience, was doing wonders for his body. He acted like a pro as he sunk low on his dick, twisted a little with his hand and then sucked back up. Bon was sure that he would be siphoned into hell with the sound that came out of him at the sheer pleasure running through his system, but any and all shame was thrown out the window the second the two of them entered this room. Right now, it was about a helluva lot more than just stopping the toxin, it was about making up for lost time, showing appreciation, so many things.

Rin seemingly got an idea and shifted, still swallowing him whole. Which was incredible. He leaned in more, his left hand on Suguro's hips as his right hand fondled his balls. Rin was just going to town on his dick and Suguro couldn't stop the stream of moans or cries spilling from him even if he tried. Every sense was consumed by this phenomenal man and he just wanted more. His knuckles were white from clenching the bed sheets and he was just bucking his hips up, feeling bad but Rin just kept going, very happy to take him in. With every lift and drop Rin brought him closer to the edge, and those fangs just ever so slightly grazing the walls of his shaft brought him unbelievable amounts of ecstasy.   
"Holy fuck _Hgn~_." The words came out in a gasp. There was a knot building at the base of his stomach that was so close to coming apart. "You're doing so well." He managed with a breathless tone, finding it hard to think with the waves of pleasure that rocked through him. He couldn't think of anything besides the halfling sucking him. Rin hummed in acknowledgement, preening under the praise. The vibrations from his response were the final straw for Ryūji.   
Suguro didn't even have time to warn Rin before he came, it was loud and absolutely euphoric. His vision was white and for half a second, his ears rang. He barely noticed how much he was shaking. When he got a sliver of clarity, he registered what had just occurred. He was about to apologise to Rin, but the halfling was still happily bobbing his head over his member. The motions were lovely so he didn't stop him, but when it became too sensitive, Bon called Rin's name. He instantly released his cock, going to look up at him with gleaming eyes.   
"How are you so fucking hot?" He asked, almost astounded as to how attractive Rin was, even after sucking him to heaven and back. His hands and legs were still shaking from the aftershocks of his orgasm, so moving felt a bit strange. He managed to prop himself up with his elbows behind him, looking at Rin, who's dark hair was messy and in his crystal eyes, a light flush decorated his cheeks. Suguro surmised that he probably looked about the same. Or possibly even worse. Rin's toned chest glistened with sweat, he sat back on his ankles, still hard with a smile on his face.   
"I have no idea." He said simply. "Why do you taste so good?" He shot back. Bon was startled at the statement but he just shrugged, smirking at the halfling.   
"Not a clue."   
They shared a look, smiled and then they both laughed. 

Rin seemed to be a lot more comfortable now, and Suguro was very happy with that. Maybe this way it will be fully open communication rather than mostly open. Still sitting on cloud nine, Suguro had to somehow factory reset his brain as Rin spoke.  
"You know, there's something else I'd like." His cheeks flushed slightly and the way Rin said it made Suguro realise that this whole ass, dumbass guy had almost certainly spent a good minute or two, or maybe even longer planning on how to say this. Probably while he was giving him head too. Ryūji mentally laughed at him and his precious antics, then he gave him an easy smile, somehow completely dismissing the fact that they were both very much naked and beckoned him to continue. Rin said what he wanted to say but it came out far too fast and way too soft for Ryūji to actually hear anything, and his hearing was pretty good the last time he checked. He sighed gently, looking him over. "One more time?" He asked, leaning in a bit. Rin growled lightly in the back of his throat, not in a threatening way, (not that it would matter, Suguro still thought it was hot) but more out of irritation, probably at himself.   
"Whaddya want Rin? I'm up for nearly anything and everything," at this moment in particular -yes, this moment, absolutely whole ass naked, sitting close together in the almost dark-, of course he had to go on a bit of a tangent with his point. "Ya know I've done enough research for the both of us and that includes a whole array of things." He varied his tone so that the halfling understood his point.   
Rin just sort of looked at him with this smile on his face, his shoulders dropping slightly as he relaxed into himself again.  
"You know," he crawled in a little closer, "it's actually really hot that you researched this." He admitted, this time loud enough for him to hear. He grinned widely, appreciating the way Rin appreciated him.  
"I mean, I can tell you about a lot of things I've researched," he smiled and reached his hands down to rub over Rin's thighs before talking. "I even noticed something earlier." He added. Rin's ears perked up at that and he raised his brows.   
"Yeah? And what was that? " A smirk slid across Suguro's lips, cheeky as ever as he pushed himself up, crossed his legs and set his hands in the sign of harmony, his index and middle fingers interlaced with his thumb, ring finger and pinkie finger extended. He started chanting;  
"Let not your heart be troubled; Rest in the Lord your King; Not without hope your weeping; Those who in Christ are sleeping He in the clouds will bring." A wave of calm fell over Rin and he felt at peace with his life, yet at the same time, the words and tone of his voice went straight to his dick. It somehow managed to do its job, plus a little extra. Apparently that was the _proper_ first verse of the Calming mantra Suguro tried to teach him way back in highschool. It was phenomenal, eloquently put, and it was also incredibly seductive. He felt his dick twitch and his body shudder slightly.   
"So you did notice that." He said quietly, biting his lower lip and looking him up and down. Suguro opened his eyes and dropped his hands with a full on shit eating grin plastered across his cheeks.   
"Yep I sure did. And I got a whole bunch of them stored away for whenever." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and Rin gave him this sweet hopeful smile.   
"So what was it you wanted?" He shifted the topic, having sufficiently proved his point.   
Rins ears flicked back for a moment as his tail swished worriedly behind him. He inhaled deeply and looked around before speaking, as though someone might hear him.   
"I want to have sex with you."   
Suguro smiled and his brows furrowed inward. "I thought that was the plan." He said, keeping it light. Rin laughed incredulously, trying not to get nervous and suddenly bail. "No I want- God what is it called?" He frowned in that little way he did when he got irritated and Suguro had to admire him for a second before finding the word.   
"Top?" He filled in and Rin's eyes lit up in recognition. "Yes that!" He chuckled.   
"I'm more than happy for that to happen." He said. Rin grinned and gave a little excited wiggle. He adored this man. 

"Com'ere." He gestured with his hand and Rin crept forward on his knees until he was over the other man. Suguro placed his hand on the back of his neck, gently grabbing some hair and pulled him into a deep kiss. This time when their bodies met it was proper skin on skin contact and they both sighed contentedly, kissing one another sloppily. True to his word, Rin went to kiss down his jaw and nibble at his earlobes and the shell of his ear. Suguro shuddered at the unique sensation and grinned.   
"You really like my piercings." He said playfully. Rin breathed a slight chuckle into his ear.   
"I do." He admitted, sucking a hickey just underneath it. Suguro grinned a bit more and ran his hands up and down Rin's back, enjoying the ripples of muscle that moved as he sucked another hickey just under the previous one. For someone who looked incredibly lean and not so built, the guy had _muscle._ It was insanely attractive and Suguro made a mental note to do this more often. He tilted his head to the side to give him a better angle. The halfling was hovering just over his lap so close they were nearly touching. He was holding himself up with both his arms, one on either side of Suguro's head. As Rin moved around his neck and head, still kissing and nibbling,  
Suguro took the opportunity to squeeze his ass. Rin groaned.   
"You have such awesome hands." He commented in the crook of his neck, huffing out a breath. Ryūji chuckled, appreciating the firm muscle and flesh under his hands.  
"And you have an amazing ass." He said nonchalantly. Rin laughed and pulled back, simultaneously pressing into his grip. This allowed Bon to take over, he -sadly- moved his hands, clasped his hips and held them firmly over his lap as he moved one hand to push himself up. Suguro, who immediately went for that God forsaken mark on Rins collarbone, was dead set on covering it or otherwise removing it.   
They were together now and that demon could go fuck itself. If he knew where it was and had the time; He would fuck it up six love before even trying to send it back to Gehenna.   
Rin and himself were going to have an amazing time, filled with roaming hands, pleasing gasps, shivers of ecstasy and perhaps even cries of one another's names. (They were both looking forward to that.)  
Bon would be damned if he let something as simple as a little mark on this perfect man's shoulder piss him off. Though he did come close to that. The half demon hummed beneath his ministrations but gave a soft complaining whine.   
"As amazing as that feels Ryūji, I can tell you're getting irritated about something." Rin mumbled, moving to nuzzle into his neck while stroking and gently pulling Suguros hair to ground him. He grumbled softly.  
"Yeah." He let Rin calm him down for a moment before speaking again. "I just don't like the idea that you're branded by that demon." He admitted, a ferocity entering his tone. He pulled away slightly to look over the halfling, tracing his frame from his face, those beautiful eyes, curved jaw, down his sculpted torso and hips to his knees, which is where his view ended for him. 

A small part of why he did this was to somehow, in a different way: 'Claim' Rin with his eyes. Which was nice, but there was something else to his action. As he did this, he started to notice little marks and scars that littered his body here and there. Not very big ones at all, but Suguro had _somehow missed them before._ The halfling had a few really obvious ones and a couple others that weren't so clear. The line on his lip he knew, and he still felt bad about.   
He traced a mark on the right side of his neck, it was a thin line, maybe two or three centuries long. The scar was just a shade or so lighter than the rest of the skin around it.   
Rin tilted his head so that he could get a better look at it.   
"This one has a bit of a funny story." He said, smiling to himself. Bon wondered what he defined as funny. "Shiro was getting a custom glass table made a few roads down from the monastery and he'd just picked me up from school. I don't remember how old I was, but Yukio was still doing better than me obviously." Rin looked a bit distant as he spoke, perhaps sinking into the memory. "Well sure enough the table was finished but the glass had just been cut, so it was rough and jagged. Shiro was checking the table and I wanted to see something across the shop, so I ran past and the glass was hilariously, the right height for me."   
Suguro's eyes widened in horror.  
"Well long story short, it hurt a decent amount, everyone panicked, they had to redo the glass for the table _and_ I wasn't ever taken back to that shop." Rin smiled at the absurdity of it all, looked back at Suguro and then his face shifted to show mild embarrassment.   
"I was a clumsy child." He said in defense. Suguro smiled blandly, giving him a sympathetic look.   
"Rin, you're still a clumsy child, even several years later." The two laughed and Ryūji ran his hands down again, finding a jagged scar on the inside of his upper left arm. Rin lifted his arm to show him the mark properly.   
"And this one?" A look of guilt shifted across Rin's face almost instantly and he knew where this might be going.   
"Jumped over a barbed wire fence." He simplified giving a little shrug, still looking rather bashful. Suguro exaggerated a sigh.   
"Was this that one time when you snuck out and got caught almost instantly because people thought you needed stitches?" He asked incredulously, smiling to himself at the thought. Rin joined in, nodding profusely. "Yep, exactly that. The yards were furious until they saw all the blood. The thing never got the chance to heal properly because of all the people fussing over it." Ryūji rolled his eyes but stayed smiling.   
"Nearly everyone got woken up and dragged outside to check on you." He said.  
"God Yukio was pissed." Rin added, laughing a bit harder. They smiled at one another for a moment longer before Bon's hand settled on yet another scar. This one was impossibly thin but it stuck out about less than a millimeter from his chest. It lined down his torso just slightly, breaking up here and there, looking like a dashed line. He frowned and fingered the mark for a while longer. Rin didn't seem as eager to share the story this time around. He shifted uncomfortably for a second.   
"Uh, not the most fun story." He started, chuckling uneasily. Bon looked him over, curious as to what could have been so bad.  
"Uh, the shortened version is when Amiamon gutted me." He said. If Suguro was drinking water he would have spat it everywhere in shock. Barbed wire and glass tables were one thing, but him being fucking gutted? That was a reach.   
"What the fuc- Seriously?" He asked, bewildered, bordering on aggressive. Rin just nodded, giving a shrug. He then cracked a smile, a mischievous glint to his eyes. "Yeah, though thinking back on it I'd rather have taken on that Lapis Caritate." He joked trying to lighten the mood. Bon narrowed his eyes at him, the joke was decent but didn't remove the implications behind the sentiment.   
"We can leave that bastard out of our bedroom talk in the future." He said, finally finding a good response. They shared a laugh as Rin’s heart nearly flew out the window like a gremlin had snatched it. " _our_ bedroom talk in _the future._ " Rin tried not to set himself on fire, _**literally.**_  
"Oh uh. Yeah." The halfling swallowed.   
Bon reached up and stroked some hair behind his ear.   
"That alright with you?" He smirked.  
"More than alright." Suguro ran his hands up and down his thighs -almost intentionally missing where Rin wanted him. His left hand caught a slight blip in his soft skin. He frowned and looked down to examine the blemish. He rubbed it tenderly, studying how it differed from the surrounding skin.  
Rin didn't even have to look down.   
"I was sitting underneath a tree that was being trimmed. One of the branches came down and I really didn't notice it much, but when Yukio came by he freaked at the- what did he call it?" He paused to find the word. "Gash, that was it." Rin corrected. "He said it would need stitches." Suguro grimaced.   
"That must have been uncomfortable." Rin gave a noncommittal shrug. Bon shook his head in disbelief. He had never met a more intelligent yet also dumb person before. He had an incredibly varied skill set. 

The final scar he ran his fingers over was a clear mark on Rins left side with saw-like edges and more pinkish flecks than the other ones before it. He caressed it more, memorising the way it dipped and curved and felt. Rin shivered under his hand. This one brought back some memories.  
"What's this from?" He asked curiously, still rubbing the mark. Rin took in a breath, the other ones, he knew Suguro was a bit irritated, but he wasn't upset. He was almost certain that Ryūji would pop with this story. He gathered himself and tried not to get distracted by the wandering fingers. "Remember that teacher we had a while back, he didn't stay long. Igor?" He nodded. "He was around when we had that exwire test?" Suguro frowned, knowing where this might go. That night wasn't a fun one. The ghoul that split itself in half and tried to attack both them and Rin. Thinking back on it, he was incredibly concerned for him, but also pissed because the guy always tried to do everything by himself. Thankfully, Suguro was working on that end.   
Igor really did give him the creeps and during that Exwire test, he was just eerie then absolutely disappeared. Come to think of it, he hadn't actually seen the guy until there was that issue at Rin's monastery. He was curious but also hesitant. What had happened with him? He asked as much.  
Rin took in an unstable breath, "He-ya, he stabbed me on the roof of our building, just before the test ended. He had been the one sending demons after us. He did that when it was confirmed that Satan was my father, in fact, that was his entire purpose. " He admitted, his heart sinking a little.   
Suguro felt his jaw clench without thinking, every muscle in his body tensed with anger.   
That actual fucking douche-canoe on a stick had not only sent demons after them before they were even qualified? But the fucking twat waffle that God disowned had also stabbed Rin? That was absolutely insane.

He was so beyond pissed at that moment his anger was almost tangible. This was- He was going to explode. Bits of him were destined to hit the walls.  
"Hey." Rin started, moving into his frame of view, cupping his face in his hands, he gently rubbed his thumbs up and down his jawline. "It's okay Ryūji. It's in the past." He said softly, trying to calm him down. By this point, it was over three to four years ago. A lot had happened in that time and not all of it was absolutely fantastic. Rin had to let things run off his back a long time ago, here was no exception. And as much as he appreciated the protective nature of his body language, this was over.   
"I know that." He mumbled begrudgingly. "But Jesus Christ. If I had known that when I saw him last I would have gone for him." He said, still running his hands over the mark. It was still inconceivable that people could just do this! And even more so that Rin just dealt with it? Did he hold his tongue for his brother or because he knew that the Grigori would use his retaliation as another excuse to execute him? There was so much.  
"It's fine," Rin soothed. "I can handle pain, I just didn't want him hurting anyone else on my behalf." As much as that made sense, it also made Suguro want to punch a cactus. This man needed to realise how much he is worthy of, and even more than that, he needed to realise that if people choose to hurt someone. It wasn't his fault. Everyone has a choice. Ryūji collected his thoughts and met his eyes, studying them.   
How he wished that wasn't true, all the stories that had been told either by Rin or in passing. He didn't like the idea of Rin being hurt over and over by people he knew just because he was different or because of who his father was. Rin needed to see his worth.  
All Suguro wanted was his halfling to be happy and playful, be who he is meant to be -and also to absolutely fuck him senseless. He removed those thoughts of sadness and past experiences from his head.   
"Well anyway, fuck him." He deadpanned. "You're beautiful and if I ever see him again, I'm going to fuck up his either eye." Even though he was dead serious, he had to smile at him. Rin laughed at the comment and drew Suguro into a hug.   
"As much as I love hearing about how you want to white knight everyone that has hurt me, can we maybe discuss gouging his eyeballs out later? Kinda ruining the mood."   
"Sorry about that." Suguro said, giving him a sympathetic look. The halfling smirked.  
"So, where were we?" Rin asked. 

Suguro pulled Rin into his lap and squeezed his ass again, causing Rin to groan and tug at his hair a little more, which was exactly what he wanted.   
"You know what you're doing or do you want me to talk you through it?" He asked, breathless with excitement. He hadn't experienced this before and doing it with this amazing person would be a great experience. Rin let out a sharp breath, seemingly controlling himself.   
"Well I like hearing you talk," he said, "and you talking about this -to me." He added under his breath. "Would be awesome, so please talk me through it." Bon chuckled at the implications and Rin himself, he appreciated the straightforwardness.  
"You never did do your homework." He said playfully. Rin gave him a look, and Suguro couldn't decipher whether he was being serious or not.   
"One more comment like that and I'll treat _you_ like my homework." He said.   
Bon raised a questioning brow, a smile playing at the corner of his mouth.   
"Now that's a nasty threat."   
They both laughed and Rin crawled off his lap, going to collect the almost forgotten bottle of lube on the bed.   
They were both over excited at the prospect of having sex (finally) and Rin was taking this seriously, despite the loud beating of his heart. He was afraid that Bon would hear it.  
"What angle is the best?" He asked, coming back to where Suguro was. Things were getting real and Suguro could feel himself getting harder at the thought. If everything he read was accurate, this was going to be amazing. And with Rin, it would be even better.   
"Hands and knees or even laying back." He said simply, staying where he was. Rin cocked an eyebrow in his direction, sitting on his knees again.   
"And which one would be more comfortable for you?" Hearing that warmed Suguro’s heart. All he wanted to do was keep him safe and happy. That's all he ever did. How could people see him as something evil? He considered the positions and settled on one.  
"I want to watch you work." He said, sliding down on the bed and spreading his legs, Rin licked his lips at the sight, eyeing him over. "Okay, I can work with that." He says.

Suguro starts talking to him. Rin listened intently as he was explaining things carefully. He sat back on his knees, keeping Suguro's legs spread with one hand as he took his pre-lubed finger and gently massaged it around Suguro's entrance. He drew in a sharp breath at the sensation. He had to say something to assure Rin, so he managed; "I've never done this to myself before, but it feels nice, keep going." His sentence ended with a moan that was a slightly higher pitch than his regular voice. He watched as Rin smiled to himself, a little proud.  
He continued to massage at his entrance, drawing out the sounds a bit more until he could slide the one finger in. It was warm and tight, and the sounds coming out of Ryūji were absolutely scandalous. The whole thing really did wonders for his erection and imagination. How good would this feel? Could he make it better? And, how good could he make Suguro feel, just like this?   
"All good?" He asked, checking in.  
"Mhmm." He hummed. "It's different but it's really good." He sighed and willed his body to relax, keeping his hands balled up in the bed sheets as he breathed through it. He wasn't lying, it did feel different and it did stretch a bit but it wasn't bad.  
Rin slid the finger in and out slowly, getting some semblance of a rhythm going while still trying to be gentle, figuring out what movement got the resulting sound or jolt. Watching as Ryūji writhed under him, enjoying his actions made Rin feel like he had a purpose besides killing Satan.   
Suguro was breathing heavier now and he liked the sounds being made.   
When it was easier to slide in, Rin poured a little more lube on his fingers and tried for a second one. Bon had explained things really well, and he trusted him to tell him if something wasn't right. He moved carefully and he managed the second finger rather easily, as a result, Ryūji hissed but then whined. They were both surprised by the noise. It was a new sound coming from him and Rin revealed in the fact that he had gotten that sound. The stretch was lovely, the burning, not so much, though that came and went which made it a lot more bearable.  
"I love hearing the sounds you make, they're amazing." He commented, Suguro just breathed and hummed as he gently pushed back on the two fingers. Before he could ask, Suguro spoke.   
"It's a little uncomfortable but it isn't sore, keep going." He assured him. Rin nodded and made a point of using his other hand to start stroking his cock. This was unexpected but definitely welcomed. Bon immediately moaned and bucked his hips upward, which was a good enough distraction for the halfling to gently pull back. He made sure to add some more lube before continuing. It made this a lot smoother and somehow a lot more comfortable, seriously, this shit was _useful_ and he made a mental note to buy loads of the stuff if this was to become a reoccurring thing. 

Rin had never been all that good at remembering things, even really important things like tests or birthdays, but he would never forget all the beautiful noises coming from Suguro. He kept going and soon he was relaxed enough for Rin to scissor his fingers and move a little faster. Bon moaned, throwing his head back and breathing heavily.  
"You really didn't need me to talk you through this." He said, almost breathlessly. Rin smiled as he kept working, finally getting a third finger in comfortably, the response was a high pitched moan and another movement of his hips.   
"I guess not, but it's really reassuring to have you tell me I'm not screwing something up." Suguro chuckled in between gasps of pleasure.  
"The only screwing you're doing is me and I'd like you to go a bit faster." he says. Rins smile widened and he complied, adjusting his pace to speed up. Bon inhaled sharply and was moving to meet each thrust of his hand, enjoying the stretch and the subsiding burn, strings of profanities mixed with panting breaths. Suddenly Rin felt a different bit of skin and Suguro shouted loudly, yet he could tell it wasn't from pain.   
"Holy mother of fuck. ,em>hgnn." He cried, his hips bucking into his hand again along with another moan. "That was amazing, do that again." he huffed. Pleased to receive such a reaction (and command) Rin repeated what he did, still stroking Suguro's cock at a similar pace. He mewled and cried out. "You're stimulating my prostate." He said, barely audible. (Honestly Rin appreciated the explanation as much as the noise that came with it.)   
_But also; Ah yes Bon, ever the educationalist._  
Rin had remembered someone mentioning that before, whether it was Suguro forever ago or something he had stumbled upon while online, he didn't care. However judging by the way Suguro was squirming and writhing on his hand, it was a fantastic thing. An absolutely amazing thing.  
"Holy shit," he hissed, still moving with him. "I'm so close." He said, screwing his eyes shut and tightening his grip on the bed sheets. Rin kept going, speeding up just a smidge and for the finale, he lowered his mouth over his dick as he properly stimulated his insides. Within moments of him doing this, Suguro was crying out his name loudly, throwing his head back as his hips shot up and hot cum was pouring down Rin's throat.   
Once again, he was more than pleased to swallow it all down, it was kind of like accepting a gift and this was one he wouldn't refuse. Bon shook even after he had finished coming, breathing raggedly with knuckles as white as the sheets he was clutching. "That was fucking amazing." He heaved, needing to praise the halfling.   
"You did that perfectly." He finished when his voice returned to him. Rin gave a half smile. He had made him happy. And he had made him feel amazing. He was so focused on Suguro's pleasure and hearing all the little noises he made that he had forgotten about how hard he was. He could feel it against his thigh and yet that didn't matter. 

Suguro gestured for him to come closer so he did, lifting up as Suguro propped himself up on his elbows. "Give me a moment." He asked, drawing Rin into a kiss. He nodded and kissed him back.   
Suguro ran his hands down Rin's back, gently grazing it with his nails, he shivered at the feeling and let out a sigh of relief.  
"I can't wait for you to fuck me."   
Even though he heard the words, his brain still had to sprint up a small hill to process them. His breath hitched in his throat. He felt the same way. He couldn't think of anything else to say besides "You are amazing." He punctuated that by nuzzling into his neck. "You're even more amazing." He retorted, going to hug Rin. The halfling chuckled.   
"Ya know, let's argue about that later."   
Bon copied his laughter and went to place a kiss at the base of his neck.   
"There are condoms in the drawer," he whispered.   
So they were getting right on down to business. Rin nodded and awkwardly crawled over Suguro to grab a condom. He hoped to hell that it wasn't as awkward as it felt.   
He hasn't ever really had an occasion to study a condom up close, but he knew the premise of them. Apparently, Suguro impatined or he was an idiot because Suguro took it from him and promptly ripped it open with his teeth, removing the condom and sitting up to slide it down Rin's leaking top. The moment was swift but also somehow incredibly slow. He made a sound low in his throat as he did this and Rin's dick definitely loved the sound.   
"I'm ready when you are." Suguro whispered softly, laying back again.   
Rin was very fucking ready, (there's a pun in there that I won't touch just yet)  
The only issue was how stressed he felt. His demonic side was crawling in the background and he was terrified of losing control. He'd never been all that good with strong emotions or feelings and this was definitely one of them.  
"Tell me if things don't feel good." Subtly behind that, he meant: _don't let me hurt you. Please, please for the love of god tell me. Please Stop me if I lose control._ He wasn't sure why Bon had so much faith in him because his reaction was so calm.  
"You've been nothing but perfect. Stop worrying." He wanted to argue but then he added: "please just fuck me." It wasn't rude, and that was made perfectly clear by the tone of his voice -whispy, but definitely begging. Rin cleared his head, thought back to all of the images that had flooded his head just a day or so before and lined himself up with Bon's entrance, pouring some more lube around his dick to make this a little smoother, carefully sliding in. Suguro immediately moaned, throwing his head back as he arched upward. Rin appreciated the way his hair had messed up around the back of his head and how his body moved around and under him. Honestly, he had to focus on some very unsexy thoughts to not immediately blow his load and prematurely ruin things. It was incredibly difficult too, Ryūji was warm and tight and perfect. With his demonic strength and stamina, technically, (and he meant very _technically,_ ) he could keep going for a ridiculous amount of time, but he wasn't messing around here and he wanted to make sure Suguro was happy. So far things were still under his control and by the way curse words fluttered from his lips, Rin was pretty sure he was doing something right. Ryūji wrapped his legs around his waist, hooking his ankles behind his legs, ultimately changing the angle and he groaned again. "Please move." He said, his voice low. Hearing this, his demon side tried to rip through him, but he bit it back.

Rin, instead of flaming up, complied instantly, pulling back his hips and thrusting them forward carefully. They were both sweaty, hot panting messes and it had barely begun. Nothing in his life had ever been as amazing as the moment his brain connected the strings that they were in fact, having sex. He was inside him. Bon dragged his nails down Rin's back, causing them both to moan loudly.   
"Holy shit you feel amazing." Rin muttered, kissing his neck and pulling back for another thrust. Suguro moaned in agreement, his pitch once again growing higher for a moment.   
"You are doing so well, you're making me feel so good." He managed to say, gripping the back of Rin's hair. He enjoyed the praise and Suguro loved giving it to him. He beckoned him on a bit and the pace gradually sped up, every movement was bliss and they both had to focus on not letting this go too quickly. Suguro found a rhythm and moved to meet every thrust. It was deep and messy and loud but it was also impeccable. Rin angled his hips slightly differently and hit Suguro's prostate again. He knew this -not because Bon had told him, but because he yelled and rocked into him, shaking slightly. Rin wanted to bite him again,wanted to sink his teeth into his neck and feel it around him as he fucked him, but instead he just continued to graze his teeth along the column of his neck, holding back. Things were getting harder (Bingo another pun I won’t touch for now ;) )  
He could feel himself on the verge of flaming up, and he wanted to avoid doing that as much as possible. So he focused on Ryūji instead. Rin balanced himself on one arm, checked the stability and went to stroke Suguro’s cock again. He moaned loudly and rocked in time with Rin, as he kept the pace hard and fast. Suguro was now completely surrounded by Rin and he had never felt more safe, sure he was vulnerable but that was just a part of it. While he thrust into him, he also stroked him, which set Bon’s lungs on fire as he panted with the pleasure coiling in his gut.   
"I'm so close." Rin said, breathing into his neck. He meant that in every way possible. His flames were coming too close to the surface, but neither of them noticed that he was already ablaze. The blue flames of Satan danced in his hair, down his back and up his tail, they swirled around the two of them as the cursed toxin was both literally and figuratively burned from his system.  
Ryūji nodded his head rapidly, moaning as he did this.   
"Me too." He said a second before he whined again and the sound went straight to his dick. This man felt amazing and every thrust drew his orgam closer and closer. Rin was milking him for all he was worth here and he was loving every moment of it. 

The tight coil of ecstasy was right at their fingertips, so when Rin felt Suguro start to shake he knew he was on the very cusp of coming for a third time and he was going to make that happen. He thrust slightly harder and spoke. "Come for me Ryūji." He said. Using his name and stroking his cock, Suguro did so. He yelled the halfling's name loudly and clutched onto his body. He came all over Rin's chest and his own torso, but neither one of them noticed that. He was preoccupied with the way his body spasmed. Tingles of release shot up his arms and down his legs, still wrapped around Rin's legs. His orgasm drew Rin to his end pretty soon after, releasing into the condom. It was probably the most amazing feeling he had ever had the _pleasure_ of experiencing. Literally. 

They weren't sure about how much time had passed, since they were currently ignorant of the outside world. They were comfortable and stayed entangled in eachothers arms, somehow dismissing that fact that Rin was still buried hilt deep inside him. Suguro was the first to comment as he shifted and kissed his neck.   
"That was fucking mind blowing." He said, still panting slightly as his lungs caught the warm air mixing with his lovers. Rin smiled and slowly withdrew from him, careful so as to not hurt him. As he moved he noticed the flames flicker around him  
How did he not see them earlier! He kept his voice calm as he spoke, since he felt compelled to respond. "You can say that again."   
He extinguished the flames breathing a sign of relief, incredibly thankful that he hadn’t done any damage. It took him a bit more time before he could remove the condom. Everything was still incredibly heightened. Suguro studied him, he noticed how his ears had elongated, how his jaw seemed to sit differently, probably due to the lengthened fangs from the shift, as well as the way his tail flicked and swished behind him. It clicked that Rin had, in some way lost control, and yet he was still perfectly in control.   
He decided to not mention it for now.   
Rin managed to tie the thing off, but then he had to adjust his eyes to the darkness of the room so he could actually throw the thing away. He did that as fast as possible so he could snuggle into Suguro's side again. He realised doing that would be rather awkward considering the fact that the two of them were still very much covered in cum. He gestured quickly to the door, sprinted like a madman to the bathroom and retrieved a warm face cloth to clean them both off. He cleaned himself first, brought another towel with and came back. He held them up to show Bon where he had gone and moved to wipe the rapidly drying release on his chest. Suguro just breathed happily as he did this, not complaining or moving as he made sure they were both cleaned off. Ryūji appreciated the gesture, he really didn’t feel like getting up. 

When that was finally over, Rin did what he wanted to do, climbing onto the bed again and settling beside Suguro who instantly pulled him to his chest. He moved Rin to check his collar bone. Clean skin, mostly. He smiled to himself, very pleased that that God forsaken fucking mark was finally gone, now replaced by the bright purple bruises of his hickeys. He nodded to himself, happy with the work. He had the bite marks and Rin had the bruises, though he knew they wouldn’t last very long. Oh well, looks like he’ll have to replace them.  
"Hey Rin," He called, his smile became more playful. He snuggled into his side some more. Bon smelled like him, like his. Not in an ownership kind of way, but in a mutual household kind of way, so that everyone who came across them would be able to tell they were together. "Mhmm" he hummed, content with everything in his life at the moment. He felt light, free, without a care in the world.   
Right now, he wasn't _Rin Okumura, the Son of Satan with the blue flames._   
He wasn't on death row for the crime of being alive.   
He wasn't the failure his brother had always led him to believe he was.   
Right now, he was Rin Okumura, the happiest half-demon alive with his lover's arms engulfing him.

"I'm the guy that just saved your life." He said cheekily. Rin snorted briefly before he sighed, pushing up on the bed to hover over Bon with a disapproving gaze.  
"God Ryūji," he said with an exaggerated tone of exasperation. "I thought I told you to not let it go to your head." Suguro gave him that same shit eating grin he had when he'd recited that Sutra and chuckled.  
"Yeah, you did. But I didn't promise anything, remember?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment your thoughts I really really appreciate the feedback. Y'all are amazing! Thank you so so much for reading ^^

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own the characters of Blue Exorcist (Ao no Exorcist)  
> These characters belong to the original creator Kazue Kato
> 
> Please provide constructive criticism, leave your thoughts and ideas and give some kudos if you enjoyed  
> Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> (Please don't ride my ass too much for the bad HTML stuff, that shit is hard and I've never done it before. I will get better in time. I am terrified of posting this and then having people hate it, but uhh, yeah. . . let me know)


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